A defibrillator for the Thursby community has been secured thanks to Thursby Parish Council and Story Homes.
The Parish Council applied to Story Homes for funding amid concerns that ambulance response times for rural locations like Thursby can be lengthy. Following the decommissioning of the telephone kiosk in the village, and consultations with the Community Heartbeat Trust (CHT), the council applied for a change of use of the kiosk to house a defibrillator.
A defibrillator is a portable machine that delivers an electric shock to the heart when someone is having a cardiac arrest. These machines can be used without prior training, though training is available through the Community Heartbeat Trust, when community public access defibrillators are placed.
Cllr Wendy Bowe, Chair of the Parish Council said: “We’d like to thank everyone in the community who supported this initiative. Acting quickly when someone is in cardiac arrest and fighting for their life is crucially important. Currently only about 10% of people survive an out of hospital cardiac arrest and we hope that having a defibrillator could make all the difference.
“It’s very easy to use. Firstly call 999. Then open the box and follow the voice instructions. The worst thing you can do with one, is not to use it!”
The British Heart Foundation and the Community Heartbeat Trust supplies all the equipment and provides training and advice. A first aid evening will be held for people living in the village so they are aware of where the defibrillator is and basic CPR.
Carreana Taylor Sales Manager for Story homes said: “We are delighted to be able to contribute and help provide this life saving equipment for the community of Thursby.”
We have supported this scheme through our Sustainable Story initiative, which is our commitment to giving something back to local communities.
We are constructing the new housing development St Andrews View in Thursby. This will consist of 69 homes, and will boost the supply of much needed new homes and feature a stunning collection of bungalows, terraced, semi-detached and detached properties in a range of 2, 3, 4 and 5 bedrooms and offering up to 1,905 sq ft of living space.
The marketing suite is now open on site Thursday to Monday from 10:30 to 4:30