Nursery funds installation of Clarence Park defibrillator
Grasshoppers Day Nursery practitioner Faye Clements with one of the children at the site of the new defibrillator. - Credit: Grasshoppers
Staff and children from a St Albans nursery have visited the site of a new defibrillator after being the driving force behind its potentially life-saving installation.
Grasshoppers Day Nursery, based in York Road, made an application to the charity support fund run by their parent company Childbase Partnership to purchase the machinery.
They were surprised to receive the full £2,676 funding for the defibrillator, which has now been installed at the cricket pavilion in Clarence Park.
Nursery manager Jeni Neville explained; “The idea for the defibrillator came about following first aid training in nursery, and conversations about where our nearest one was located. We realised that in the event of an emergency there wasn’t one nearby and this is something we were keen to address as they are such crucial pieces of equipment in helping to save lives.”
Grasshoppers charity representative Lauren Ringrose added: “Clarence Park is very special to us as a nursery, as well as to many of our families, so it feels incredibly rewarding to play a role in the defibrillator installation, although we hope it will never have to be used.
"This process has also presented many learning opportunities with the children, including developing language by naming body parts, researching how we can keep healthy and visiting the park to see the new addition.”
Childbase Partnership head of charity, Lucy Thompson explained: “As an employee-owned company we continuously strive to support the communities in which we serve.
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"The shocking collapse of Christian Eriksen at the recent Euros tournament highlights just how vital this equipment can be in saving lives and we are absolutely thrilled to be able to make this contribution to the local area.”
According to the British Heart Foundation, less than one in 10 people survive a sudden cardiac arrest, but the survival rate can be as high as 90 per cent if a defibrillator is used within the first minute, and roughly 74 per cent within three to five minutes. It works by delivering a high energy, electric shock to the heart through the chest wall.
The new public access defibrillator can be used 24/7 by anyone who requires it.
