Coordination and Development Support Officer, Anne Webster, works in partnership between VONNE and MEA Trust to build a community amongst the organisations based at MEA House by delivering a programme of activities to support tenants, local communities and the wider VCSE sector. One of her latest projects was to fundraise for a Defibrillator machine to be placed at MEA House and to arrange suitable First Aid training around the building – in her blog she explains her aims and actions around the successful project.
Did you know, less than 10% of people survive an out of hospital cardiac arrest but studies have shown that if a shock is given within three to five minutes of the arrest, it can increase survival rates between 50% and 70%. The immediate delivery of CPR combined with early use of a defibrillator gives a person in cardiac arrest the best chance of surviving. It was these figures that prompted me to research how we could get an automated external defibrillator sited at MEA House – especially as the nearest one is 15 minutes round trip, too far to save a life. After talking to organisations within MEA House, as well as the MEA Trust Board and Naylors Gavin Black who manage the building, I realised there was a lot of support to organise a fundraising drive so the MEA House Defib Appeal was born!
To raise vital funds for this life saving equipment I organised a coffee morning with raffle, tombola and plant sale at MEA House and the support and donations received from the MEA House community was overwhelming. You can’t beat a cuppa, a delicious piece of cake and good chat - and all for a great cause too. Local organisations also supported the fundraising with local Pan Asian restaurant KATO donating vouchers for the raffle, as well as Tesco and M & S. Many thanks to the MEA House community who raised over £1,000 with the remainder of the funding being donated by the MEA Trust. It was great to see all the organisations within the building pulling together for a common goal.
I’m delighted to say that MEA House now has a public access defibrillator in place by the front door. Reception and café staff as well as several other members of the MEA House community have been trained in CPR and defib use as well as completing a one-day emergency first aid in the workplace course.