Local Business Funds Replacement of Damaged Public Access Defibrillator

Community spirit and wellbeing should be at the forefront of all Crowborough residents’ minds. Our town is growing, local businesses expanding and new shops opening, it’s an exciting time. It was a shame that this was mildly tainted when one of the Public Access Defibrillators was vandalised recently, taking it out of service.

Robin Dowling, Crowborough resident and owner of The Health Insurance Specialists (THIS), a private health insurance brokerage recognises the importance of AED units and paid for an immediate replacement to be fitted by the town hall.

There are over 30,000 out of hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year. Chances of survival are very small but without treatment a cardiac arrest victims’ chance of survival decreases significantly more by 10% per minute – a scary statistic but one that can be combated by having units like these fitted throughout town centres. Use of a defibrillator can aid chances of survival.

As a community we must take pride and control in town safety, whilst we can’t prevent thefts or vandalism like this it’s vital we raise awareness of the lifesaving work they are able to do. Thank you to Robin for helping to make a positive change to our community.

Funds that were raised through other local sources in response to the incident have been ringfenced for future Public Access Defibrillator deployments.