Life saving equipment for Wolsingham
A defibrillator has been installed in a Weardale village in memory of a man who passed away earlier this year.
David Nelson, of Frosterley, died suddenly at home in January aged 61 after suffering from a heart attack.
In the wake of his death, his family set up the David Nelson Memorial Fund to purchase defibrillators in the hope of preventing any more tragic loss of life.
To date they have now raised £17,500 - and their fifth defibrillator is now available to use in Wolsingham.
It will be installed in a cabinet on the exterior of Wolsingham Town Hall, ready to be used by any member of the public in an emergency after they have called 999.
A group of residents turned out to a defibrillator awareness session at the town hall on Monday, 10 August.
The session, which was led by Adele Young, community resuscitation officer at North East Ambulance Service (NEAS), gave residents a chance to learn how and when to use the equipment.
David's family also have another four defibrillators on order - taking the total up to nine.
And they're not stopping there. The fund-raising will continue throughout September, with the added support of world champion 60m sprinter, Richard Kilty.
His four grandchildren will be taking part in the Mini Great North Run on 12 September, while his daughter Gillian Hutchinson takes on the full run the following day.
Just a week later, on 20 September, his daughter, daughter-in-law, nieces and family friend will be doing a sponsored zip wire over the River Tyne from the top of the Baltic.
Gillian said: "The support that we have received from the community of Weardale and beyond has been overwhelming. We never imagined that we would achieve so much in such a short space of time and it is only due to everyone getting behind us and donating funds, raffle prizes and, in some cases, their time.
"We can't thank people enough and just hope that the defibrillators can help save lives in the future. It is a very fitting tribute to dad as he was always happy to help people."
More NEAS awareness sessions are planned in September on the following dates to boost first aid confidence among residents:
David Nelson, of Frosterley, died suddenly at home in January aged 61 after suffering from a heart attack.
In the wake of his death, his family set up the David Nelson Memorial Fund to purchase defibrillators in the hope of preventing any more tragic loss of life.
To date they have now raised £17,500 - and their fifth defibrillator is now available to use in Wolsingham.
It will be installed in a cabinet on the exterior of Wolsingham Town Hall, ready to be used by any member of the public in an emergency after they have called 999.
A group of residents turned out to a defibrillator awareness session at the town hall on Monday, 10 August.
The session, which was led by Adele Young, community resuscitation officer at North East Ambulance Service (NEAS), gave residents a chance to learn how and when to use the equipment.
David's family also have another four defibrillators on order - taking the total up to nine.
And they're not stopping there. The fund-raising will continue throughout September, with the added support of world champion 60m sprinter, Richard Kilty.
His four grandchildren will be taking part in the Mini Great North Run on 12 September, while his daughter Gillian Hutchinson takes on the full run the following day.
Just a week later, on 20 September, his daughter, daughter-in-law, nieces and family friend will be doing a sponsored zip wire over the River Tyne from the top of the Baltic.
Gillian said: "The support that we have received from the community of Weardale and beyond has been overwhelming. We never imagined that we would achieve so much in such a short space of time and it is only due to everyone getting behind us and donating funds, raffle prizes and, in some cases, their time.
"We can't thank people enough and just hope that the defibrillators can help save lives in the future. It is a very fitting tribute to dad as he was always happy to help people."
More NEAS awareness sessions are planned in September on the following dates to boost first aid confidence among residents:
- Wednesday, 2 September - Stanhope Church Hall, 6pm-8pm
- Wednesday, 30 September - Stanhope Church Hall, 6pm-8pm
Adele Young said: "We hope no-one will ever have to use these defibrillators but we want to make sure that if anyone who is ever faced with needing to will know what to do.
"The awareness sessions are about confidence and awareness. We're not expecting you to be experts at the end of it or to become one of our first responders as a result of this training, we just want to give you that reassurance that you will know what to do if you are faced with that situation."
Notes to editors
Notes to Editor:
About defibrillators:
Community Public Access Defibrillators (CPADs) are available for members of the public to use in an emergency once they have called 999.
When a person goes into cardiac arrest, their heart is beating erratically. A defibrillator sends out an electrical shock to the heart, which momentarily stops the heart with the aim of bringing it back to normal rhythm.
The defibrillator automatically detects whether a shock is needed, meaning anybody can use it. The sooner defibrillation begins, the better a patient's chance of survival.
After entering your postcode, the 999 call handler will receive an alert to say there is a defibrillator nearby and will ask you if there is anybody nearby who is able to retrieve it. If the defibrillator is in a locked cabinet, they will also provide the code to unlock it.
The call handler will also provide CPR advice over the phone and the defibrillator gives out instructions as you are using it.
Signs and symptoms:
Signs and symptoms of a heart attack vary from person to person - and even if you have previously had a heart attack, your symptoms may be different.
They can range from pain or discomfort in your chest that doesn't go away. It may feel like a heavy weight or could even feel like indigestion or a dull ache.
It can spread down the left or the right arm or may even spread to your neck or jaw.
You may feel sick or dizzy, feel sweaty or clammy, and you will look paler than normal.
You could only get one of these symptoms, all of them or even none of them.
More information is available at www.bhf.org
About defibrillators:
Community Public Access Defibrillators (CPADs) are available for members of the public to use in an emergency once they have called 999.
When a person goes into cardiac arrest, their heart is beating erratically. A defibrillator sends out an electrical shock to the heart, which momentarily stops the heart with the aim of bringing it back to normal rhythm.
The defibrillator automatically detects whether a shock is needed, meaning anybody can use it. The sooner defibrillation begins, the better a patient's chance of survival.
After entering your postcode, the 999 call handler will receive an alert to say there is a defibrillator nearby and will ask you if there is anybody nearby who is able to retrieve it. If the defibrillator is in a locked cabinet, they will also provide the code to unlock it.
The call handler will also provide CPR advice over the phone and the defibrillator gives out instructions as you are using it.
Signs and symptoms:
Signs and symptoms of a heart attack vary from person to person - and even if you have previously had a heart attack, your symptoms may be different.
They can range from pain or discomfort in your chest that doesn't go away. It may feel like a heavy weight or could even feel like indigestion or a dull ache.
It can spread down the left or the right arm or may even spread to your neck or jaw.
You may feel sick or dizzy, feel sweaty or clammy, and you will look paler than normal.
You could only get one of these symptoms, all of them or even none of them.
More information is available at www.bhf.org