The Mount Vernon Community Hall volunteers have ordered an iPad-SP1 Defibrillator from the British Heart Foundation and an outdoor cabinet from London Hearts. They plan to have the defibrillator placed outside Mount Vernon Community Hall so access to this life-saving equipment is available 24-hours a day, 7-days a week in case of an emergency. As part of the funding from The British Heart Foundation, they have received a CPR training kit and this will allow their volunteers to provide free CPR training to the community when it is safe to do so.
The funds were raised through a Just Giving fundraiser with generous donations from the local and wider community, local businesses including East End Tyres & MOT, AB Property Consultants as well as Mount Vernon Community Council and David Linden MP. The volunteers appreciate everyone who shared their fundraising campaign and also made donations towards this lifesaving equipment.
Defibrillation reverses cardiac arrest by sending an electrical current through the heart muscle cells, momentarily stopping the abnormal electrical energy and allowing the normal heartbeat to resume. If the heart can be shocked quickly with a defibrillator within a few minutes after collapse, a normal rhythm may be restored, and many victims can and do survive.
The Mount Vernon Community Hall volunteers believe the defibrillator will be a welcome addition to Mount Vernon Park.