Taylor Wimpey West Scotland has donated a public access defibrillator (PAD) to Elderslie Wallace Bowling Club in Elderslie, near Paisley, to benefit the community in the immediate local area.

This latest defibrillator will become the guardianship of the management team at the bowling club who will look after and maintain the equipment to ensure that it is available to anyone who needs it.

As part of a joint initiative with the British Heart Foundation (BHF), the homebuilder is donating potentially life-saving PADs to communities around the UK to help people who suffer from an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

During 2019, the BHF worked with Taylor Wimpey to train its employees in CPR skills and to provide every one of their building sites in the UK with a defibrillator. As part of its commitment to leaving a lasting legacy in the areas in which it builds, Taylor Wimpey is donating the defibrillators to local communities when their developments are completed.

Taylor Wimpey has also committed to ensuring all of its defibrillators are registered on The Circuit, the national defibrillator network, which is a joint venture from the British Heart Foundation, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, the Resuscitation Council UK and St John Ambulance. Data on defibrillators registered on The Circuit are visible on the despatch systems used by 999 call handlers. So, when a cardiac arrest occurs, the dispatcher can direct bystanders straight to the nearest defibrillator. This increases the chances of defibrillators being used quickly and significantly improves the chances of a successful resuscitation.

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Deryck Schendel, Regional Health and Safety Advisor for Taylor Wimpey in Scotland, said: “It's so important to us that we give something back to the communities in which we're building. Our partnership with the BHF is vitally important in helping to ensure that more defibrillators are available for people who might need them, and we are proud to be able to make this equipment readily accessible in Elderslie.”

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David Perrit, Club Secretary of Elderslie Wallace Bowling Club, added: “The members of Elderslie Wallace Bowling Club are very grateful to Taylor Wimpey West Scotland for their generous gift of the defibrillator for the benefit of the club, its members and the wider community of our village.”

David McColgan, Head of BHF Scotland, said: “Every second counts when someone has a cardiac arrest, and we know that prompt CPR and defibrillation can double the chances of survival in some cases. Increasing the number of publicly accessible defibrillators in our communities – alongside more of us learning CPR skills – can play a vital role in these critical moments. That is why we are delighted that Taylor Wimpey has contributed to the aims of the BHF by making a public access defibrillator available in the Bathgateareaaspartoftheirwiderlocalcampaign. Itcouldhelpsavealife.”

A defibrillator is a portable device that can be used by anyone to help restart the heart when someone suffers from a cardiac arrest and has stopped breathing. No specific training is needed, and the device will only deliver a shock to the heart if necessary. When someone has a cardiac arrest, every second counts. For every minute that passes without defibrillation and CPR the chances of survival decrease by around ten per cent.

For more information on CPR, defibrillators and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, or how you can help BHF create a Nation of Lifesavers, visit www.bhf.org.uk/cpr

To learn CPR in just 15 minutes with the BHF's free online RevivR tool, visit revivr.bhf.org.uk/

The Circuit's aim is to map all public access defibrillators in the UK, so ambulance services can direct bystanders to the nearest defibrillator in the event of a cardiac arrest – the ultimate medical emergency. Further information about The Circuit is available at www.thecircuit.uk/