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A West Midlands Ambulance Service paramedic who set out on a mission to install a single defibrillator in her hometown of Evesham, has now helped place an incredible 30 in the community, and is not stopping there.
Kerry Wood initially took to Facebook to raise funds for a single defibrillator whilst undertaking her Paramedic Science degree which led to the local council donating one to her and it was installed on the front of her house.
Kerry quickly became known as the ‘woman with a defibrillator on her house’ in the local community, going on to win a ‘Love Evesham Award’ which inspired her to try and raise funds for a second defibrillator.
As things snowballed quickly, Kerry knew she needed a team around her to help maintain the pace of the project and Evesham Defibrillators, which now has five members – Kerry, Karen Stephens, Donna Atkin, Kerry Yeates and Lynda Williams – was born.
Fast forward 12 months and the team have installed 30 defibrillators, all of which are registered on the national defibrillator database, The Circuit. They are all available 24 hours a day, and thanks to the plans put in place by Kerry and the team, even when a defib is used, no cabinet will be without one for more than a couple of hours as they will quickly ensure it is replaced by a spare.
The importance of a defibrillator, a device which can shock someone’s heart back into rhythm if they suffer a cardiac arrest, can never be underestimated and of the 30 that have been installed, they have been used on nine patients during the last 12 months.
“We have been so successful that now, we are seeking advice and support from Rotary in the Vale who have kindly offered to mentor and help us achieve charity status. This will bring in more funds and more defibrillators, which will help our aim of providing our community with a defibrillator within 500 metres of their home at least.
“We have held two fund-raising events so far and share details of any local CPR and defibrillator training on our Facebook page, encouraging people to attend.
“I must just say a huge thank you to the team of three electricians who all work for us for free to install the defibrillators. Tom Bates from TDB Electrical Services LTD; Bert Diamond from Diamond Electrical Installations and Darren Hancocks from DMH Electrical and Security Specialists are all amazing people and have invested in our team, without them none of this would be as successful as it is.”
Kerry Wood.
If you would like to find out more about Evesham Defibrillators, you can do so on their Facebook page.
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