Picture: Becky Saunderson. Image No.042796
AS Christmas draws near, a determined fundraising effort from a Buckie pub could see the most precious gift of all – that of life – handed to people who find themselves suffering a cardiac arrest. Last November saw Pub in the Square barmaid Lynda Murray perform life-saving CPR on a customer who suddenly fell ill and stopped breathing. It was to herald the beginning of a fundraising campaign to buy public access defibrillators that has so far garnered £3010. Now, the Pub in the Square has not only unveiled its own defibrillator but also given one to the
Friends of the Fishermen’s Hall (FOFH). A further donation to the Sandpiper Trust, who are supplying the machines, will help pay for training costs. Ms Murray told the Advertiser: “I’m very proud that we have managed to raise this money so quickly and can present a defib to the Fishermen’s Hall.
“People have been very supportive, it’s been amazing. “We’re also delighted to be able to make a donation towards the cost of training volunteers to use the machines. “We chose to donate a defib to the Fishermen’s Hall as it’s a very well used place by a lot of community groups. “I never thought all of this
would happen last year when I had to perform CPR.” Ms Murray added that the fundraising would likely continue after the new year. FOFH chairman Glen Campbell said the group were delighted to receive the donation of a defib for the hall. “We were overwhelmed when Lynda got in touch to say the Pub in the Square would like to donate a defib to the hall, just over the moon,” he said. “It’s such a kind donation, we can’t thank them enough. “The hall is used by so many different community groups of all ages. It’s really busy, so it’s the ideal place for a defib to be sited. “After the new year we’ll be
looking to identify volunteers from the various hall user groups to undertake training with the Sandpiper Trust. We’ll also be looking at where best to site the defib within the hall.” Handing over the defibs was Keri Fickling, the trust’s Wildcat project manager, who explained the various options open to the Pub in the Square and FOFH members when it came to siting the machines. “The defibs can be left in their protective bags or can be kept in a locked cabinet outside,” she said. “If it’s in a cabinet, a member of the public can access the defib by dialling 999 and the Ambulance Service will give them the code to open the cabinet.”