Lack of defibrillators prompts Girls' Brigade group to raise money for new life-saving device

By Jessica Wade
Published 8th Jul 2023, 06:00 BST
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A Girls’ Brigade group has raised funds for a new defibrillator – after they raised concerns about the lack of the medical devices in the community.

The 1st Fareham Girl’s Brigade was concerned by the lack of accessible defibrillators in public spaces.

A readily available defibrillator could be the difference between life and death for someone suffering from a cardiac arrest.

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In a recent first aid course, the girls learnt the significance of the defibrillator and were prompted to search where in the local area the equipment was available. They discovered the nearest two defibrillators were a car drive away from their church on a busy dual carriageway.

The 1st Fareham Girls’ Brigade group succeeded at getting a local defibrillator to fill in the gap and are now thinking about how to ensure defibrillators are located in more public spaces.The 1st Fareham Girls’ Brigade group succeeded at getting a local defibrillator to fill in the gap and are now thinking about how to ensure defibrillators are located in more public spaces.
The 1st Fareham Girls’ Brigade group succeeded at getting a local defibrillator to fill in the gap and are now thinking about how to ensure defibrillators are located in more public spaces.

Consultant paramedic Mark Faulkner said: ‘When someone’s heart stops beating every second counts.

‘Having a defibrillator which can be rapidly accessed is completely key to saving a life if someone’s heart stops beating.’

To protect the health of their community, the girls were motivated to raise money to fund the installation of a new defibrillator.

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They hosted cake sales and collected donations from local businesses and money from town councillors. The group did not fall short and a new community defibrillator has been ready for action outside their base in Fareham Baptist New Life Church in Gosport Road, since May.

Leader, Wendy Townrow said: ‘Everyone was excited to help us. As we began, we were directed to several different places in the community for support and donations and each person was thrilled to be a part of this important goal.’

The group are now running familiarisation sessions to educate others on the importance of local defibrillators and share the key skills for emergencies that they have learnt.