Wellingborough fundraisers secure life-saving equipment for club

Earls Barton Bowls and Tennis Club now has a community public access defibrillator on the premises.

It has been bought with the fundraising efforts of 40 teams who took part in the Rust Bucket Rally 2018 organised by Carl Baldry and Richard Armitage of Wellingborough.

Participants bought a car for no more than £500 and covered 2,500 miles across 10 European countries in four days in June.

Organisers chose to support SADS UK this year as it is a charity close to their heart and they raised £40,000.

Supporting the national cardiac charity has enabled a number of defibrillators to be donated into the community.

Earls Barton Bowls and Tennis Club is one of those to benefit after being nominated by Daniel King to receive a defibrillator.

The life-saving equipment works to restore the heart rhythm if a person goes into cardiac arrest.

The defibrillator at the club is easy to use by the layperson, providing voice prompts to the rescuer.

As well as assisting organisations to put defibrillators in place SADS UK is also making more community public access defibrillators available - these are housed in heated metal cabinets.

The defibrillator at Earls Barton Bowls and Tennis Club is situated outside the building so members of the public can use it if there is a cardiac emergency.

Defibrillator training will be carried out at the club at 6pm on November 2.

Anne Jolly MBE, founder of SADS UK, the Ashley Jolly SAD Trust, said: “SADS UK is grateful to Carl Baldry and Richard Armitage for choosing the cardiac charity as their nominated charity for the Rust Bucket Rally 2018.

“We are pleased that Earls Barton Bowls and Tennis Club now have a defibrillator to restart the heart if there is a cardiac arrest on the premises.

“Using CPR alone provides a five per cent chance of survival but early use of the defibrillator as well increases the chance of survival to over 50 per cent; this is why SADS UK is so passionate about putting this life-saving equipment in the community.”

Carl Baldry and Richard Armitage, organisers of the Rust Bucket Rally, said: “The Rust Bucket Rally is delighted to be able to place a defibrillator at this club.

“Plans are already under way for next year’s Rust Bucket Rally as we continue to raise vital funds for local charities.”

Copies of ‘The Warning Signs’ leaflets have been provided to the club to help people who may have an underlying cardiac condition to be identified and treated.

For more information about the charity click here