UK Training’s Christmas defibrillator giveaway is back for another year

UK Training, based in Sywell, has announced that they will be giving away another defibrillator with training to a not-for-profit organisation as part of their Christmas giveaway.

They are asking people to nominate a local charity, community group or sports club on the UK Training’s Facebook page.

Anyone can nominate a Northamptonshire not-for-profit organisation; the owner or a member, someone that has benefited from a local service, a hero within an organisation or a group that has made a difference to a community.

Nominations from schools will not be accepted this year following the announcement from the Government in July 2022 that schools without a defibrillator will be provided with one by the end of 22/23 academic year.

Last December saw AFC Rushden & Diamonds Community Youth Football Club win the Automated External Defibrillator (AED).

They won the Christmas Giveaway by an astonishing 823 votes by sharing on Facebook to their family, friends, and the local community.

Mark Swindells, AFC Rushden & Diamonds club lead, said: “The voting process brought everyone in the club closer together and it shows exactly what local communities can do when they all get together.

"Since winning the prize, our community club has become both stronger and has increased in size, we now have an active 300 players registered who in the worst event possible would now have access to the defibrillator if required.

“As a club our amazing volunteers all work together to ensure the defibrillator is transported between person and teams to ensure it is accessible at all times.

"Even nearly a year on, we are hugely grateful for UK Training for running the competition and would not hesitate in recommending anyone to take part should they run a similar competition in the future.”

An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is designed to restart the heart’s regular rhythm when a person has a sudden cardiac arrest.

According to the British Heart Foundation, there are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests every year in the UK, but fewer than one in 10 people survive.

Immediate CPR and defibrillation can more than double the chances of survival.

Barry Hunt, training manager at UK Training, has decided to bring the Christmas giveaway back for another year.

He said: “After an impressive number of nominations last year, we wanted to make the defibrillator giveaway a yearly event, to allow more groups the opportunity to have access to a defibrillator in their organisation or community.

"With the current cost-of-living crisis and rising winter costs, funds are even more scarce, so we want to give our support to these incredible local non-for-profit organisations by giving away a free defibrillator just in time for Christmas.”

The nomination must match the below criteria:

• Must be a non-for-profit organisation (schools are not included)• An organisation which doesn’t already own a defibrillator• Northamptonshire based

Nominators have until Friday, November 25, to tag the organisation of their choice; everyone can then vote for their winner between November 28 and December 9 and the winners will be announced on December 9.

Visit www.facebook.com/theuktraining to nominate now.

UK Training are a Northamptonshire-based training provider, offering vocational qualifications, and training courses for both individuals and corporations.

Courses include First Aid, Health & Safety, IOSH, SIA Security Training, Mental Health, Food Safety, Personal Licence and COSHH.