Big 'Thank You' party tonight in Newtonmore to all the defibrillator contributors
Community group OneKingussie are throwing a get together tonight to say thank you to their dedicated volunteers for all their support in looking after the publicly accessible defibrillators in the area.
The group now maintain 15 life-saving defibs and have increased their reach from just Kingussie to most of Badenoch, stretching from Laggan through to Kincraig.
The gathering is being hosted by timber company Russwood, who have recently installed a defib at their premises in the Newtonmore industrial estate.
The community group initially started up during 2020 as a local response to the pandemic, and helped to organise food shopping and other vital support for vulnerable and isolated individuals. The group pulled together a large pool of willing volunteers, who have been called on for other events and activities since the Covid crisis, such as helping out with stewarding at the Camanachd Cup, the Bikeathon and assisting with vaccination clinics.
At the start of 2022, OneKingussie came together to take on the task of maintaining the numerous defib units which had been installed in the town over the past 10 years.
Local Highland Councillor Russell Jones said “It was fantastic that the town had created a supply of publically accessible defibs through fundraising and support from charity Lucky2BeHere, but keeping on top of the maintenance of the machines and cabinets had fallen to the wayside over the years. It was a perfect fit for OneKingussie to respond to the needs of the community once more, by making sure these vital pieces of equipment were in full working order.
"A band of volunteers responded to the call out for help to become defib guardians, and with assistance from a small group of administrators, we set up an easy to use system which ensures that every defibrillator has a regular check over. Any problems, such as a low battery or missing pads, are reported straight away and dealt with by the admin support team so that the machines aren’t out of action for any length of time.”
Mark Tate, who set up the behind-the-scenes system said: “The quick and easy checks completed every couple of weeks by our fantastic defib guardians really do save lives. The whole process wouldn’t work without the volunteers, and we’re incredibly grateful to all of them giving their time and dedication to the project.
"We invited Newtonmore, Laggan and Kincraig to join into the system, and we’re now delighted to have 15 defibs registered with the team. Toni Vastano and friends recently raised a huge amount of money with their fundraising cycle from Campbeltown to Kincraig, and as a result Kincraig now has two more machines for public access.
"Laggan has received SSE community funding to pay for their 4 village defibs, and Newtonmore has added a defib to the west of the village thanks to support from Russwood.
"It’s great to know that these new machines already have their guardians assigned to them and will be well maintained for years to come.
"The reception at Russwood is a chance for everyone involved in the defib effort to get together and for us to say a big thank you for their ongoing support. Since starting the project in January last year over 500 checks have been undertaken, all of the defibrillators are registered with the emergency services and most importantly, when they have been needed they have been available, done their job and been back in service within 24 hours.”
The group are also in the process of organising more defib training to spread knowledge and awareness of how to use the machines in an emergency situation, which will be open to all.
“As well as keeping the defibs functioning properly, we want anyone and everyone to feel confident in using them, as that familiarity with a defib could save a life one day”.
The meeting tonight at Russwood starts at 6.30pm.
To find out more about the defibs or to volunteer with the group, contact defib@onekingussie.org