Life saving defibrillator for Havelock Park
Banbridge Hockey Club and Seapatrick Football Club have been presented with a life-saving defibrillator (AED) for HavelockPark.
The equipment was jointly funded by British Heart Foundation (BHF) Northern Ireland and the two sports clubs giving local people access to the vital life-saving equipment, should someone suffer a cardiac arrest while accessing the facilities at Havelock Park.
The defibrillator works by delivering a controlled electric shock through the chest wall, to shock the heart back into a normal rhythm. When someone has a cardiac arrest, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation needs to be prompt as for every minute that passes the chances of survival decrease by around 10 per cent (1).
President of BHC Neil Madeley stated: “We are delighted to be able to have a defibrillator available at Havelock Park for those who may require it. Banbridge Hockey Club is a busy sports club with our facilities in regular use by our own members, local schools and members of the local community. Therefore, it is essential that we have the skills and equipment available here to help save someone’s life.”
Gareth Wills, Chairman of Seapatrick Football Club: “Our Club is pleased to be part of this partnership with Banbridge Hockey Club and the British Heart Foundation. The presence of this life saving equipment at HavelockPark should be welcomed by all who use the Lurgan Road facilities.”
Around 30 members of Seapatrick Football Club and Banbridge Hockey Club have now been trained on how to operate the equipment by local GP, Dr William McCandless. This should mean that as far as possible there are trained personnel on site should they ever be required.
Stephanie Leckey, BHF Northern Ireland Area Development Manager added: “Around 1,600 people suffer a cardiac arrest outside of hospital in Northern Ireland each year, of which less than 10 per cent will survive to be discharged from hospital. Having more people trained in CPR and the use of defibrillators is crucial to saving more lives. I’m thrilled that Banbridge Hockey Club and Seapatrick Football Club have taken this step to help save local lives.”
Thanks to Dr McCandless, Mark, Drew and Denise for facilitating the training and Paddy Grimes for setting up the club.