Ross Playle, the County Councillor for Witham Northern has raised more than £1,000 for The Witham Hub and its campaign to have ten defibrillators installed around the Town by 2025. It currently has seven in operation and the funds raised by Cllr Playle through taking part in and completing the Maldon Half Marathon on Sunday 29th September, have taken them closer to achieving their long-term goal.
Cllr Playle said: “I am delighted that I have been able to reach and surpass my goal of raising £1,000 for The Hub’s defibrillator campaign. This is vital equipment and, in short, will save lives. When we have the full ten installed, no one living in Witham will be more than a few minutes away from a defibrillator. My thanks to everyone who very kindly sponsored my half-marathon.”
Tina Townsend, Founder and Chair of the Witham Hub Trustees, said: “Ross is a great friend to The Witham Hub and has been for a long time. He has done absolute wonders in raising this large amount of money, so quickly and given our defibrillator project a major boost. We can’t thank him enough. We are now hoping to be able to install a defibrillator at the Royal British Legion Building in Newland Street, in the very near future.”
Each defibrillator cabinet costs more than £1,600 and installation, on average, costs £300. A site survey is needed for each one and armoured cabling is required as the cabinet must have an electrical supply to keep the defibrillator warm when temperatures dip below 4 degrees centigrade. A defibrillator, if used promptly, is recognised as improving the chances of surviving a cardiac arrest by up to 15%, emphasising the importance of The Witham Hub’s defibrillator network.
