RUNNERS have helped pay for a new cabinet to house a defibrillator at Locke Park after the original was trashed by yobs.
Vandals ruined the cabinet containing the lifesaving device in April - it had only been in place for about a month. The defibrillator wasn’t damaged in the attack and was later found dumped undamaged in a flower bed by a member of the Park Run group.
Alan Mills, founder of the running group, said the device is a vital piece of kit that saves lives.
“The cabinet was damaged beyond repair and the defibrillator has been kept inside the cafe since then so it’s only been available when the cafe is open,” said Mr Mills.
“That’s why we started fund-raising for a new cabinet.
“They are vital bits of kit and do save lives and it needs to be there. Vandals need to understand that, if they ever can, that if they do this it costs lives. That area is now covered by CCTV.”
Park Run member Claire Robinson started the fund-raising ball rolling with a raffle with prizes donated by local businesses, which raised about £500. A JustGiving page was also set up, with donations totalling about £700. A charity group put in another £500 and a local family donated £250 in memory of a relative’s mum who died of a heart attack.
A new cabinet for the device costs about £800 and because the fund-raising appeal had such a good response there are talks of buying a second defibrillator for the park.
Mr Mills said: “The grand total is £1,600 so we have got a lot spare. The thoughts are, and I need to speak to those who have donated about this, that we may get another defibrillator to put elsewhere in the park. But that’s yet to be decided.”
The original £1,800 unit was installed after a man died during a Doncaster park run. Mr Mills said that was the inspiration to join a national scheme, which aimed to make sure that every park run had access to a defibrillator. It was paid for by the Perrigo Foundation, the charitable arm of Silkstone-based pharmaceutical firm Perrigo.
