Earlier this year, East Ayrshire Council launched a life-saving initiative bringing together contractors and communities to provide defibrillators for community use and the roll-out of equipment has commenced, with the first of seven such partnerships being announced.
Auchinleck Talbot Football Club have taken receipt of a defibrillator donated by local company McConnell (Hugh LS McConnell Ltd), and representatives from both organisations recently met at the Talbot Social Club, for the handover of the life-saving equipment.
The initiative aims to encourage contractors to donate life-saving equipment for distribution within the communities where they are undertaking work, as part of their obligations to provide wider local community benefits during the life of their contract with the Council.
Campbell Peden, Ground Safety Officer, Auchinleck Talbot F.C said: “Auchinleck Talbot Football Club would like to thank East Ayrshire Council, McConnell and Millar Electrics for the donation and installation of our Community Defibrillator. Actions speak louder than words, and today you have shown this to be the case as we accept this vital piece of lifesaving equipment on behalf of our local community.”
Tracy McKellar, Bid Manager with McConnell said: “McConnell has a strong history in Ayrshire as our Head Office is based in Kilmarnock, so we are delighted to be supporting East Ayrshire Council in this defibrillator appeal”. “The defibrillator appeal is a fantastic concept, and it is our pleasure to participate in such a great initiative. Providing this lifesaving equipment and associated security box to Auchinleck Talbot Football Club to help save lives is an honour.”
David Doran, Health & Safety Manager at East Ayrshire Council added his praise. He said: “It’s great to see this initiative between the council and Procurement coming to fruition. This installation will benefit the community of Auchinleck and I’m grateful to McConnell for this generous donation.
“We want to make East Ayrshire a defibrillator Council within the next five years by installing community access equipment in as many prominent locations as possible across the authority and contractors such as McConnell will help make this happen. This is the first of seven such partnerships to benefit from the equipment over the coming weeks.
The defibrillator has been installed outside the ground adjacent to the Social Club.
The club have also received a certificate from the Scottish Fire And Rescue Service acknowledging that personnel from the club have participated in life saving “Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest Training”.
