Sunderland rotary clubs help save lives by Donating for Defibs

Volunteers Colin Jameson, left, and Andrew Horsley with a new defibrillator.

The four Rotary Clubs of Seaburn, Sunderland, SR1 and Wearside all joined together to raise £1,000.

The cash injection will be used to fund a new Automated External Defibrillator (AED) – a machine that shocks the heart to restart after a cardiac arrest – as part of St John Ambulance’s Donate for Defibs fundraising initiative, to buy new equipment that could help save lives.

The new AED will be housed at the charity’s Sunderland Unit.

Dr Jill Jobson, regional fundraising co-ordinator for the North East said: “We are delighted to be chosen by the Rotary Clubs in Sunderland and thank them for investing in this vital life-saving equipment, to help safeguard Sunderland and surrounding communities.”

“In England, the rate of survival to discharge for the 28,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests where the emergency medical services attempted resuscitation in 2013, was 8.6%.

“Every donation will help us to make sure we have a defibrillator available when it’s needed most, to give more people the chance to survive a cardiac arrest.

“The more defibrillators we have, the better equipped we are to save lives.”

Keith Higgin, secretary of the Rotary Club of Seaburn, said: “We are delighted our combined donation has been used to support the charity’s life-saving defibrillator initiative, to ensure its volunteers are better equipped to save lives.”