Event raises 'staggering' £4,000 for 'vital' defib kit

The Lord Reresby Pub in Thrybergh held the fundraiser night in aid of Start-A-Heart 24/7 after the organisation installed the portable life saving device – which gives a heart an electric shock when it has stopped beating – at the venue just months before it was needed by a customer.

Landlord Tom Parol said: “Last March we were approached by Start-A-Heart which wanted to donate a defibrillator to us in case of emergency.

“Less than eight months later it proved vital.

“A customer of ours, a gentleman called George Gillam, had just come in and whilst ordering a drink at the bar, collapsed and it was clear he was having a heart attack.

“Thankfully, with CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) and the defib, we were able to save his life whilst the paramedics arrived.

“They said without the defib it would have been 'worst case scenario'.

“Our valued customer George went on to make a full recovery which is tremendous.”

As a result, the caring team at the pub on Vale Road decided to host a fundraising event to further the good work of Start-A-Heart 24/7.

The charitable incorporated organisation, based on Shoreham Road in Rotherham, raises funds to help communities install defibrillators, all of which have been approved by Yorkshire Ambulance Service, in safe cabinets which are available to the public.

The organisation, which also provides training, has to date installed more than150 defibrillators in Rotherham as well as a further 50 in other areas of South Yorkshire.

Tom said: “We wanted to help not only with the costs of the upkeep of these machines but also raise enough money so that Trish (Lister), founder of Start-A-Heart, would be able to donate another elsewhere.

“We managed to raise a total of £4,150.65 which was a staggering amount and will certainly help.

“Upon telling Trish the news, she was emotional and said there’s a plan to install another somewhere in Thrybergh.”