20 Oct Bellway supports Witham Hub’s mission by donating a defibrillator for the town
A defibrillator paid for by Bellway has been installed at the housebuilder’s Rivenhall Park development in the town.
The company donated the potentially lifesaving device to Witham-based community group The Witham Hub, which is on a mission to provide 10 defibrillators across the town by the time it marks its five years as a registered charity next February.
The Rivenhall Park defibrillator is the sixth one to be installed overall but crucially the first to be located on the estate.
Bellway paid for the equipment to be purchased and fitted at Osbon Pharmacy in Flemming Way. The medical device is automated so that untrained people can use it in an emergency in the case of a cardiac arrest.
Tina Townsend, Chair of trustees and founder of the Witham Hub, said: “Statistics show that if you can get a defibrillator to a patient within three to five minutes the chance of survival is increased by 15 per cent. I’ve never had to use one personally, but I’d like to think if there was that need there would be one available.
image008.jpg“If you’ve got lots of them around the town you reduce that distance from them as much as possible. The more defibrillators we have, the more chance that one of them will save somebody’s life.
“It’s fantastic that Bellway has supported the local community by donating this potentially lifesaving piece of equipment. We didn’t have anything here on this side of town before this one. The nearest one was in the centre of town. To drive there and back would take nine minutes and if you have somebody carrying out CPR on a patient, waiting for the defibrillator, that is a lifetime.”
Bellway Essex’s Sales Director Jenny Walker said: “The more defibrillators there are the more likely it will be that there is one within a few minutes of a patient in need and that could make a significant difference to their outcome after a cardiac arrest.
“As well as supporting the Witham Hub’s worthwhile mission to install 10 defibrillators in Witham, our donation will ensure that residents at Rivenhall Park and the surrounding area are no more than a few minutes away from one of these lifesaving pieces of equipment.”
The Witham Hub will continue to oversee the equipment as well as paying for new parts, which must be replaced whenever the defibrillator is used at a cost of between £250 and £500.
The Witham Hub was set up to promote social inclusion in the Witham area and runs a range of community groups and services. It started in 2017 and became a registered charity in 2020. It is based at The Grove Shopping Centre in Witham. For more information, visit https://www.withamhub.co.uk/
