Ann and Brian's gift of life

Ann and Brian Pearce popped into a charity auction at Mowbray Gardens Library last year and wrote out a cheque for £5,000.

The Moorgate couple, who are both being treated for cancer, were named heart heroes earlier this year for a £30,000 fund they set up to fight heart disease.

Thanks to their donation and contributions from other fund-raisers, 15 defibrillators have been installed at libraries around the borough, including Mowbray Gardens.

Karen Low, of the Mowbray Volunteers and New Arrivals community group, said: “We were pleased to mark the culmination of an innovative project that started at the library. 

“This joint project between our group, charity Start A Heart 24:7, Yorkshire Ambulance Service, Westfield Health, the British Heart Foundation and Rotherham Borough Council successfully raised money for community access defibrillators to placed at or near to all the borough’s libraries. 

“It was given a fantastic initial boost thanks to a generous donation from Ann and Brian Pearce.”

Trish Lister, from Start A Heart 24:7, and Emma Scott, of Yorkshire Ambulance Service, formally handed the defibrillator over to library manager Alnaar Clayton. 

Emma demonstrated how the equipment works to a group of 28 library customers who were able to take part in a hands-on CPR demo.

Alnaar said: “This library is very much the heart of the community so it is wonderful that, thanks to Mr and Mrs Pearce’s kind gift and the help of a range of partners, we now have this life-saving equipment on hand, should it be needed by customers or nearby residents.”

The defibrillator at Mowbray Gardens Library is kept inside the library rather than outside so is only accessible during library opening hours.