Arbroath could soon be equipped with life-saving defibrillators across the town following the launch of one its biggest community projects.
After a busy and highly successful year, Arbroath Rotary Club is organising a variety concert of local talent in the Webster Theatre in March to fund a major project for the benefit of the town.
“Not all the details for the project are yet finalised, but we are working with the charity Heartstart and the Scottish Ambulance Service and are aiming to fund the installation of up to six defibrillators in various parts of the town,” said club president Ian Lamb.
“As far as we know, this will put Arbroath amongst the first towns in the country to boast such a comprehensive facility for the benefit of its residents.
“The concert is already coming together under the organisation of our president-elect Iain Grimmond and will feature, amongst others, the Declaration Band, Alan Mowatt, pupils from both the high school and the academy, the Limelight Group, the Swizzle Sisters, and Violet Thomson and friends, and will also involve our young colleagues in Rotaract. The producer will be James Hutcheson.”
A defibrillator, also known as an Automated External Defibrillator or AED, gives the heart a controlled electrical shock during cardiac arrest.
For every minute that passes without CPR or defibrillation, chances of survival decrease by about 10%. Research shows that giving CPR and a controlled shock within five minutes of collapse provides the best possible chance of survival.
The club has been finishing a busy and highly successful year with a flurry of festive activity.
This has been the third year members have hosted Santa Claus in the Abbeygate Centre grotto, where children can be photographed with Santa and receive a present.
Santa has spent the last three weekends at the Abbeygate and his efforts have realised more than £1,300. The club’s Dickensian carol singers have also been busy for their fourth year.
Dressed in period style, they have been singing in residential homes. Traditionally, they take to the High Street and the Abbeygate on the final Saturday before Christmas and this year collected almost £400 for the Salvation Army.
Mr Lamb added: “Fundraising events have also included our annual coffee morning with a difference, where members adopt a dress theme it was cowboys and Indians this year we’ve done a supermarket bag pack, held a fish night, our annual quiz night, and a wine tasting night.
“We’ve also had our annual old folks run, where members take elderly residents in the town for a car run and then treat them to high tea with entertainment, and helped the Inner Wheel Club with their annual Bothy Lunch. We’ve organised local rounds of the Rotary Primary Schools Quiz and the Young Photographer of the Year competition, and donated prizes to Angus College, Angus Training Group and the high school and academy.
“But I think one of our biggest successes this year was our recent efforts to send aid to the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan.
The wonderful Arbroath public more than trebled our target in a street collection to raise £600 to send a Shelter Box to the disaster area.
“It meant that, by also using existing club funds, we were able to send more than £3,500-worth of aid within 10 days of the typhoon happening. It was a true community effort and Arbroath can be really proud of itself.
“All in all, our club has given a total of around £18,000 to good causes at local, national and international level since December last year. However, it’s important to point out that the Rotary year runs from July 1 to June 30, and a lot of that success has been under the leadership of immediate past president Dale Hatton.
“Charities we have supported have included CHAS, Diabetes UK, Scottish Air Ambulance, RNLI Arbroath, Arbroath Skateboard Project and many others, with some 60% of our donations going to local or UK causes.
“On behalf of our club, I’d like to thank the Arbroath public for their generosity and continued support for our efforts. We literally couldn’t do it without them.”