South Shields pub continues raising efforts for community defibrillators following Chichester Road medical incident

Following an incident in which a man suffered a medical incident in Chichester Road, businesses in the area became concerned about the lack of defibrillators available nearby.

Members of the public and businesses rushed to the man’s help to perform CPR until emergency services arrived, but they were stunned to find no accessible defibrillator.

This promoted the Chichester Arms to set up a fundraiser which is being supported by other the businesses in the area and which hopes to raise £2,000 towards the purchase of community defibrillators.

Darren Reay, landlord at the pub, said: “It’s about raising awareness of just how vital these pieces of equipment are and how they can potentially help save a life.

“It’s a busy area for foot and bus traffic and it’s hard to believe how few are in the area.

"Luckily the man has made a full recovery but it’s important there’s a defibrillator there in case this happens again.”

The man has since made a full recovery, thanks partly to the quick actions of the public and emergency services.

Red Sky Foundation noticed their fundraising efforts and have fitted a defibrillator outside of the pub which can now be used in the event of a cardiac arrest. The defibrillator has been registered with North East Air Ambulance.

The rest of the fundraising money will be used to install defibrillators in the Westoe and Laygate areas as they are busy locations. These prime locations for foot and bus traffic also lack defibrillators. It is hoped this will further increase the awareness of defibrillators and their purpose.

In just a week, fundraising buckets have already been distributed around local businesses, raffles set up and staff from the pub have been running their own Facebook competition to raise funds for the vital cause.

Not only will the funding allow the purchase and installation of defibrillators, it will also raise awareness about what these pieces of equipment do and how they can be used.

Anyone who would like to donate to the cause can do so by visiting www.gofundme.com/f/the-chichester-arms-defibrillator-fund

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