The Wight Strollers have made their 10th Public Access Defibrillator donation following the enormous success of their most recent pantomime, Dick Whittington.
In February 2022, the Wight Strollers gave a fabulous performance and, following its great success, many charities and local good causes have benefited. Thanks to a very generous donation from the group, St Peter’s Church, Shorwell, now has a Public Access Defibrillator available to the local community 24/7.
Sarah Scotcher, Director of Dick Whittington, founding member of the Wight Strollers, said “Our come-back-from-Covid pantomime in February this year was a roaring success. It felt so good to be back on the stage. The icing on the cake, as always, is donating funds to our chosen charities. Buying our 10th public access defibrillator, knowing we are helping to save lives on the island we all love so much, is very special and we are extremely proud.”
Having a Public Access Defibrillator available 24/7 is undoubtedly an asset to any community, as the life saving device can greatly increase someone’s chance of survival from a cardiac arrest.
Louise Walker, Ambulance Education, Training & Engagement Lead, added: “If a person suffers an out of hospital cardiac arrest their chance of survival decreases by around 10% with every minute that defibrillation is delayed, which is why community public access defibrillators are so valuable.
“The Wight Strollers commitment and support to providing public access defibrillators is both humbling and commendable. This is now the 10th donation they have made; on behalf of the Isle of Wight NHS Trust Ambulance Service and the community we can’t thank them enough.”
Barbara Cram, St Peter’s Church Warden said:
“We were pleased to welcome Louise Walker at a recent coffee morning where she gave ‘How to save a life’ training, demonstrating safe use of the defibrillator and how to give CPR. This was very well received and attended by nearly 50 people.
“The village is so grateful to the Wight Strollers and to the Isle of Wight ambulance Service, for providing this vital piece of life saving equipment. We are so pleased to have use of this public access lifesaving machine should we unfortunately need it. A big thank you also to Steve Tanner & his Electrical company for donating his time & materials to install the machine.”
