Community Defibrillator and CPR Training Programme

When cardiac arrest occurs would you know what to do?

Knowing how to give CPR and having access to a defibrillator really does save lives and Rotary members from Redditch Kingfisher are ready to take action with a new community defibrillator and CPR training programme.

Inspired by the work of local charity the Charlotte and Craig Saving Hearts Foundation, members have taken up the challenge to further support the local community by publicising the local defibrillator network map, identifying where additional units are required, ensuring ongoing maintenance is in place and raising funds to purchase more Public Access Defibrillators (PADs); to complement this programme we are including the vital provision of CPR training and general advocacy.

Our first PAD has been installed in Astwood Bank and we are grateful to Counsellor Jane Potter for helping indetify the Telephone Kiosk that now houses this live-saving equipment. 

Anyone can suffer from SCA regardless of age or fitness level anywhere, at any time. When your heart has stopped beating, every second counts and that's when access to a defibrillator and knowledge of CPR is essential so we are now ramping up activity to identify the next location in Redditch.

A project such as this is not something delivered by a single group, it takes collaboration and cooperation so, to ensure success, we will link with other community and public groups such as First Responders, Schools, the Health Service and the Local Authority.

The ultimate aim is to ensure that all public access areas such as shopping centres, community centres, parkland areas, rural locations and community/village shopping precincts house a defibrillator and that people in the area are confident to use the equipment but importantly know it is available. 

Retrospective research proves that increasing the automated external defibrillator effective location range, can improve cardiac arrest coverage by 15%. This means that the easier it is to access a defibrillator the greater the chance of survival. CPR training and PADs do save lives; all we need to do is raise our skills and be ready to take action…

Christmas FUNdraising 2020

On Christmas Day after all the children’s presents have been delivered, Santa will be doing one last thing before he puts his boots up for a well earned rest – launching an online balloon race from his village in Lapland! 

For just £3, we are asking people and businesses or organisations to gift or buy a virtual balloon and enter Redditch Kingfisher and Knowle and Dorridge Rotary Clubs’ Eco Balloon Race taking off from Santa’s village in Lapland at 12 noon on Christmas Day .

Each entrant gets to decide the shape, thickness and design of their balloon and clever weather technology from race organisers, Eco Racing, allows entrants to track the flight of their virtual balloons once they are released on Christmas Day. The winner of the race will receive £500 cash with 2nd prize being an Apple iPad, plus 10 prizes of £10 book tokens also up for grabs.

Get Involved

We need you to publicise the project and help raise the funds that will support the purchase of new units and importantly, ensure that each one is maintained and ready to use. To help, simply go to our crowd-funding page to make a donation. With the funds raised locally, we can apply for additional Rotary Foundation funding to support the ongoing programme.

If there is a defibrillator near you, we’d like to know the location. We will take this information, cross-reference it to the central database and schedule a visit to check it is ready for use. If it’s training you would like to access, just drop an email to hello@redditchkingfisherrotary.org to find out more.  

Working together to support the community, everyone benefits…