Branston helps fund defibrilators for the heart of the community

A Scottish village’s community council has received a cheque for £1,600 to help fund the installation of three defibrillators from potato supplier Branston. Abernethy has recently installed the area’s first defibrillator unit outside the local doctor’s surgery. The equipment is essential for rural villages which take longer to access by local ambulances and will provide critical care for cardiac arrests. 

With the help of community fundraising, the Abernethy Community Council is looking to purchase a second unit which it aims to install in a decommissioned BT telephone box in the village of Aberargie. The fundraising team has also raised enough money to install a third unit later on in the year.

Linda Buchan, secretary of Abernethy Community Council said: “As well as an online crowd funder and local bucket collections, we asked local businesses to donate money for the three defibrillators. We saw a brilliant response from businesses such as Branston and raised our target amount in a very short space of time. Research has shown that public access to defibrillators saves lives so this emergency equipment will benefit everyone living and working in the area.”

The council also received £1,500 from the ‘Almond and Earn Decides’ participatory budget programme, which aims to tackle inequality and give money to community projects. To help reach the fundraising goal, staff at Branston’s Abernethy site have raised a further £1,600.

Kevin Imrie, general manager of Branston's Scotland site, said: “I’m delighted to support the hardworking community council’s fundraising to help purchase this essential lifesaving equipment. The team at Branston is really proud to have raised money for its community as it’s important to us to get involved in local village life. Although we hope the units will never need to be used, it makes the area a safer place to live and work.”