‘YOU NEVER WANT TO HAVE TO USE IT, BUT IF WE NEED IT, IT’S THERE’
Lifesaving kit installed outside school after successful fundraising campaign
A PRIMARY school has installed a defibrillator outside its main gates so the local community can get help in an emergency.
Parents, staff, residents and parishioners were involved in the fundraising for the lifesaving equipment at St George and St Martin Catholic Academy.
Now after hitting the £2,500 target, the Birches Head school has fitted the bright yellow box and registered it with West Midlands Ambulance Service.
It means anyone who calls 999 can access the code to release the defibrillator and help someone in cardiac arrest while paramedics are en route. As every second counts, it could prove crucial in their survival chances.
Principal Dawn Farmer said the idea came from the school’s first aid training, when the trainer mentioned the importance of using defibrillators.
She added: “It really struck a chord. The nearest one was located at The Cat Inn. We would have to run to get that in an emergency. One of our parents is a nurse and got the ball rolling with the fundraising.”
To boost the funds, six staff completed the Potters ‘Arf. Pupils also came up with their own fundraising ideas, including staging a nonuniform day. And the children were given tubs of sweets to take home over the summer so they could then refill the tubs with small change.
School staff have now been trained in how to use the AED equipment in case any member of staff or pupil needs help. Mrs Farmer said: “We didn’t just want it to be for the school. It’s for anybody who needs it.
“It feels so much better that we’ve got it. It’s all the what ifs. You never want to have to use it, but if we need it, it’s there.”
The school is surrounded by residential streets, so it’s an ideal location for a community defibrillator. Others are already installed at The Cat Inn, at Northwood, and the Birches Head Hotel.
St George and St Martin’s head boy Felix Schwamberger said the school council discussed the fundraising ideas. The 11-year-old, from Burslem, said: “It could save someone’s life. I feel safer having it here.”
Head girl Olivia Hyett, aged 11, from Sneyd Green, added: “If someone has an accident, you could help them.”
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi recently threw his backing behind a campaign to get defibrillators installed at all schools. But it’s not clear how this will be funded or what timescale it will involve.
In November, The Sentinel reported on a defibrillator being installed at Ravensmead Primary School in Bignall End.
The school community – with support from Tesco – had come together to raise the money following the tragic death of a teaching assistant who collapsed at work.