15th July 2017
Lieutenant Roger Edmunds, Officer in Charger at Stratford-upon-Avon Sea Cadets, was delighted to be presented with a mobile defibrillator at a recent charity fun day in Redditch. This life saving piece of equipment was given to the Stratford youth charity by Charlotte and Craig’s Saving Hearts Foundation as recognition of the contribution made by local electricians, Three Sea Electrical Ltd.
The Charlotte and Craig Saving Hearts Foundation was set up by Maggie and Rob Underwood after tragically losing their daughter Charlotte in 2010 when she died of Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome and their son Craig three years later who died from Marfan Syndrome. The foundation has worked tirelessly to ensure that every school within their hometown is equipped with a defibrillator and now continues to raise money to install further units at other key points within the area and raise awareness of the importance of CPR.
‘When a sudden cardiac arrest occurs, the casualty is usually relying on the ambulance service and first responders, and although they try their best, they can be a fair distance away from the scene’ explained Rob from CCSHF ‘The more defibrillators that are out in the community the more people that suffer cardiac arrest have a chance of survival.’
Three Sea Electrical Ltd support CCSHF by installing defibrillators free of charge. This is a significant help to the charity, reducing costs and enabling more units to be funded. Martin and Debbie Carvill, Directors of Three Seas Electrical are also both volunteers at Stratford Sea Cadets.
‘Providing this mobile unit seemed like the perfect way to say thank you’ said Rob from CCSHF. ‘We have been able to give a gift to an organisation that is important to Martin and Debbie and fulfil our aim of getting more defibrillators out in the community.’
‘Our cadets learn first aid as part of their training modules and an aspect of that is the use of a defibrillator’ explained Debbie, who is also the treasurer at Stratford Sea Cadets. ‘Having one of our own that we can carry with us to events and competitions will ensure that if a cadet, volunteer or member of the public suffers a cardiac arrest they will have access to potentially life-saving equipment.’
‘This is brilliant.’ Commented Lt Edmunds. ‘On behalf of all of the cadets I would like to say a huge Thank you to both CCSHF and Threes Sea Electrical.’
