Defibrillators save lives and so it’s great news that more of these devices are set to be installed across the Borough. Five defibrillators are currently being installed in Accrington and Huncoat and we are now looking into the possibility of installing another four in the Central and Spring Hill areas of Accrington in the future.
Defibrillators, famously used to help Premiership Footballer, Fabrice Muamba, who suffered a sudden cardiac arrest during a football game, deliver an electric shock to the heart after it stops pumping blood around the body. Statistics show that over 75,000 lives could be saved each year in the UK by having defibrillators immediately available, so it’s fantastic that funding has been approved from Central and Spring Hill Area Councils to install four more and we are now looking into this.
As Cabinet Member for Health and Communities I was really pleased to be able to donate a van on behalf of the Council to a local social enterprise charity, Community Solutions recently.
Community Solutions North West is a social enterprise working in the North West, supporting more than 1500 people every month. Their services include befriending, food bank, allotments, training, sporting projects, family solutions and community repaint projects and the van will help with many of their services to support more vulnerable local people.
The van will help Community Solutions in lots of ways. It will enhance their food bank operation, as although food parcels are all home delivered by volunteers, the van will allow the charity to collect more and more food from local individuals, companies and schools who regularly support them. They will now be able to take advantage of some of the offers of food donations from Hyndburn based manufacturers and be in a position to offer to deliver some of the surplus food to other local organisations who are tackling food poverty.
The van will also help them to distribute the food from Community Solutions allotments. The charity’s polytunnels are based in Hyndburn and the van will help them to move the equipment needed between their allotment sites and to distribute the produce they grow. Making sure they get even more fresh, local and healthy produce into their food parcels.
And finally, I just wanted to update you on the Mayoral Charities which will benefit from funds raised during my term of office last year. I’ve already sent cheques for £2,500 each to the four main beneficiaries which are Accrington & District Blind Society, East Lancashire Hospice, Macmillan Cancer Support and North West Air Ambulance.
Other charities including the Hyndburn Disability Forum, AAWAZ, Hyndburn Arthritis Care, Accrington Sea Cadets, Rishton Old Folks Welfare Association and Saheli Connection will also receive £200 each. Many thanks to everyone who helped us raise so much money to help these local worthy causes and I know the current Mayor, Cllr Marlene Haworth, is also busy raising lots of funds for her chosen Mayoral Charities.
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