Hartlepool school gets new lifesaving machine thanks to community fundraisers

A Hartlepool primary school now has a machine that could save someone’s life, thanks to a community group.
Adam Goodwin and Paul Foster of Defibs4Hartlepool with staff and pupils at Kingsley Primary School.Adam Goodwin and Paul Foster of Defibs4Hartlepool with staff and pupils at Kingsley Primary School.
Adam Goodwin and Paul Foster of Defibs4Hartlepool with staff and pupils at Kingsley Primary School.

Kingsley Primary School, in Taybrooke Avenue, bought a defibrillator after receiving a donation of £530 from the group Defibs4Hartlepool.

The group is made up of four men who are on a mission to put life-saving defibrillators into all schools in Hartlepool.

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Member Mark Rycraft, manager of Middleton Grange shopping centre, said: “Defibs4Hartlepool is extremely proud to present Kingsley Primary School with a donation for them to purchase their own defibrillator.

“So far, the group has donated funds which has placed defibrillators within over 10 schools in Hartlepool.

“Having them in schools doesn’t just impact on the children, you have got adults in teachers, parents and visitors as well so it’s important to have them close to hand.

“When we started the Defibs4Hartlepool initiative four or five years ago and we called schools we were shocked how many did not have defibrillators.

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“We have been instrumental in putting them in schools because funding is so tight so we assist with that.”

Every year in the UK, about 60,000 people will suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

For every minute that passes without defibrillation, the chances of survival decreases by about 7% 
to 10%.

But early defibrillation, within three to five minutes, can increase the chances of survival by 50% to 70%.

Although cardiac arrest normally affects adults, 12 young people die of cardiac arrest every week in the UK.