Pontefract School receives defibrillator donation from Redrow

Harewood Nursery School in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, is the latest community recipient of a potentially life-saving defibrillator from Redrow Homes.

It follows the housebuilder’s pledge to rehome defibrillators from completed construction sites across Yorkshire within local communities.

The defibrillator is being installed outside the school building, in Harewood Avenue, Pontefract, so the whole community has access to the device.

Headteacher, Becky Cook, contacted our Wakefield-based Yorkshire division after reading on Facebook about the company’s link-up with the Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust.
Becky says: "After my father's life was recently saved by a defibrillator, I knew that I wanted to launch a campaign to have one installed at our school as the experience raised my awareness of their significance.

"Following discussions with the Yorkshire Ambulance Service I learned that the school is in what they term a 'black spot', in that our nearest machine is further than the recommended 600m away for a residential area like this.

"I knew that this had to be a priority for us as a school, for the children, staff and wider community. No one thinks it could ever happen to them until it does. All the staff are first aid trained and have been taught how to use a defib, but that is no good if we don't have access to a machine."

Becky's father, Kevin Moore, has now made a full recovery thanks to a football coach who, just the week prior, had attended a first aid training course that included how to use a defibrillator. Following his recovery, Kevin attended events with Yorkshire Ambulance Trust during 'Start a Heart' week where he went into local high schools to tell his story to children who were then trained in resuscitation techniques. He was also interviewed for local radio with them to raise awareness.

Becky continues: "The defibrillator will be installed on the outside of the building and will have a coded lock that can be accessed by calling '999'. We will manage the upkeep of the machine and raise awareness that the defibrillator is available."

We have defibrillators at all of its live developments and regional offices across England and Wales, which can be accessed by staff, contractors and the local community in the event of a medical emergency. We have also created an eLearning module about the use of the defibrillators, which is available to all staff.

Steve Jackson, sales director at our Yorkshire division said: "This particular defibrillator was previously sited at our Springfields development in Highburton, near Huddersfield. At the
time we heard from Becky we knew that site was coming to a close and we were happy to earmark the machine for her school.

“We are aiming to leave a life-saving legacy in the cities, towns and villages where we build. Previously we have paid for a brand-new defibrillator to be installed at Sherburn High School, in Sherburn-in-Elmet, North Yorkshire and the aim now is that every time a Redrow development is completed in Yorkshire, the defibrillator will be donated to the local community."

Becky adds: “If a child in our care or a member of staff were to suffer a cardiac arrest I would want to be able to give them the best possible chance of survival and having a defib machine on site greatly enhances that chance for all of us. It is our duty as school leaders to support the school and local community that we serve and, although one hopes it is never needed, it is good to know that it is available for the local community if they ever have need of it too.”

Our other construction sites earmarked to donate their defibrillators in the coming months include The Green at Horsforth Vale, in Horsforth, Leeds. This is due to be re-homed at an existing sports pavilion within the development.

We are also looking for a suitable community location for a defibrillator that will shortly become available from its Lancaster Mews development in York.

Redrow is currently building new homes in West, North and East Yorkshire. For further details see: www.redrow.co.uk/yorkshire