You may have noticed that more defibrillators are appearing around the Glossopdale area.

The latest life-saving device has been installed at The Queen’s Arms in Old Glossop.

Previously one was sited outside The New Lamp pub in Hadfield and another at the One Stop shop in Gamesley.

More will follow over the next few months.

It’s thanks to the efforts of Val Cochrane, the community paramedic for Glossopdale, and Anthony Doyle, who set up the Glossop Community Defibrillator group to raise the money needed.

Anthony started the group after one of his friends suffered a cardiac arrest just before Christmas 2020 and was saved by one of the devices.

He told the Chronicle: "The response to our fundraising has been excellent. Not only did Carpenters fund the New Lamp defibrillator entirely, but they have also agreed to register their own device which is kept in the gatehouse on Newshaw Lane.

"The gatehouse is always manned so it’s available 24 hours a day. We’re hoping that many more local companies will follow suit, register theirs and allow them to be used by the public in an emergency.

"We’re now encouraging more local businesses to follow suit and make their defibs available for public use so even more lives can be saved.”

Val added: "Defibrillators are vital and we simply don’t have enough of them in the Glossop area. They are saving lives every day. They are so easy to use. You just ring for an ambulance and they give you a code that opens the device at your location.

"You will also be talked through the procedure by a paramedic. You cannot do any harm to a patient with a defibrillator.”

Anthony went on: "We’ve just ordered another eight defibs which will be installed around the area in the coming weeks. They cost around twelve to fifteen hundred pounds each, so we will carry on fundraising.

"Some local companies have already agreed to make theirs available for public use, and we’d urge other firms to do the same. By mid January there will be 10 more defibs available around the Glossop area, which weren’t there before.”

In the UK, only five per cent of people who have a cardiac arrest come out of hospital and are able to live a normal life.

Val says that in Seattle, USA, they have defibs on every street corner. 55 per cent of people who suffer a cardiac arrest there come out of hospital and are able to live normally. 

Anthony and Val say their fundraising efforts will continue this year, with many more appearing on the streets of Glossopdale.

They are hoping to install new defibs in Gamesley, Whitfield, Simmondley, Shirebrook Park and Padfield. 

They will continue with fundraising so they can provide even more new defibs and secure cabinets so they can be available 24/7. 

They also want to hold awareness events in Glossopdale to encourage people to learn about CPR and how to use a defibrillator. 

You can donate at https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/glossopdalecommunitydefibs

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