A father-of-two’s sudden death prompted a community campaign to install life-saving equipment across Perthshire.
Defibrillators have now been implemented in four rural villages following a fundraising drive started by Lindsey Goring, whose husband Olly O’Grady died unexpectedly last year.
The equipment at Buchanty, Harrietfield, Chapelhill and outside Glenalmond College can be accessed by the public during a medical emergency.
Available 24 hours a day, they were put up by community leaders alongside charity St John Scotland.
Community effort
Glenalmond and Logiealmond locals raised the required £6,000 to deliver the resources in the area.
The community effort has been led by Amanda Farquhar, who worked with locals to raise the funds needed.
She said: “This project was sparked by Lindsey Goring, whose lovely partner and father of their two sons, Olly O’Grady, died unexpectedly last year.
“We started aiming for one defibrillator but, such was the amazing response of the community, we can now install four at strategic points round the glen.
“Our aim was to ensure that the vast majority of our residents were within about 1.5 miles of a defibrillator, which we are very close to achieving.
“As a rural community, we are well aware of the heightened risk to us all in the event of a cardiac arrest.”
She added: “In addition to our residents, we have a lot of visitors and workers who pass through the area every day.
“This will be a highly visible aid which will benefit us all. If only one life is saved in the next few years it will have been worth it.
“We are very grateful to St John Scotland, both for their support and their generous donation and look forward to the training they can offer when it is safe to do so.”
Increased survival rates
Using a defibrillator alongside CPR can significantly increase survival rates for cardiac arrest.
When switched on, it reads aloud instructions so anyone can use it with no training required.
Chairwoman of St John Scotland’s Perth and Kinross Committee Janice Webster praised the efforts of the community.
She said: “We’re incredibly impressed by the huge community effort in Logiealmond and Glenalmond to raise funds for this project. There is no doubt that this will save and improve lives.
“Around 70 people each week in Scotland have a sudden cardiac arrest, but currently, only around one in ten will survive.
“A combination of applying CPR and using a defibrillator can make all the difference between life and death.
“We want to work with communities across Perthshire to make sure more people know how to do CPR, and have easy access to a defibrillator.”