The wife of a County Durham plasterer who died suddenly after playing football this year has said "it means the world" to be donating defibrillators in his name.
Darren Scott, collapsed on the side of the pitch when playing for the Cobblers Hall FC over-40s team from Newton Aycliffe against South Shields Catholic Club in February this year. The North East Ambulance Service and Great North Air Ambulance arrived at Cleadon Park but were unable to revive him and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
His friends and family are now making it their mission to ensure every football team in Newton Aycliffe has a defibrillator, as one at the side of the pitch would have increased his chances of survival. His wife Donna described her husband's death, which was put down to ischemic heart disease, as devastating, with no-one aware of his condition until his death.
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Donna said: "He had no symptoms, he was fit as anything. You go over things and think, was that a potential symptom, should we have looked over things a little bit more, but hindsight is a wonderful thing isn't it?"
She continued: "It's been the hardest thing we've ever had to do. We've moved house and the kids are trying to take everything in their stride.
"Everybody has their wobbles, but you just try to get on, don't you? This is why we've gone with the defibrillators, just trying to pull a positive out of something really dark - having a focus has kept me going."
Shortly after Darren's death, a fundraising appeal was set up by Darren's friend and the club secretary of Cobblers Hall FC over-40s, Mark Preston, who was at the game as the tragedy unfolded. Initially set up to raise money to support Donna and their three children; Declan, 18; Noah, 15; and Layna, 9; the target of £20,000 was smashed within a week and attentions have now been turned to preventing a similar tragedy from happening.
So far between Donna, Cobblers Hall FC and the Newton Aycliffe community, enough money has been raised to supply nine defibrillators in the local community Some of that was raised from the Darren Scott Memorial Cup football tournament on July 23, where a minute's applause was held ahead of kick-off and the teams wore his beloved black and white stripes.
But she admits that when Mark from Cobblers Halls FC said that there would be ten defibrillators by the end of the year, she thought that was extremely ambitious. Donna continued: "They are so pricey and they're not accessible for the people we're giving them to."
"But to be able to do it all in Darren's name, because he was so well though of here, it means the world just to be able to do that for him."
And there are further events planned in Darren's memory, with the proceeds going towards portable and fixed defibrillators, including one on Aycliffe Trading Estate. A fixed one has also been installed at the Cobblers Hall pub, where the football team is based.
Mark said: "We're doing the defibrillators in memory of Darren, and there'll be a small picture of him on the fixed ones. One is going to the Cobblers Hall pub, because that's in a community area and there are lots of shops around there.
"In general, there's always a lot of people coming and going there, and it could happen to anyone at any time. The other one we've purchased is for Greenfield School, as there's a 7-a-side football pitch, tennis court and a gym and the community use that on evenings and weekends."
Mark also says that Darren's death has prompted his teammates to be more supportive of each other when it comes to their own health. He said: "As a team, what we'll always do is if anyone is not feeling ourselves, we're quite supportive to each other.
"You never think something's going to happen to you. If I complain about this or that, my teammates will say you've mentioned that twice, now get yourself to the doctors - men think it will always be alright and it will drift over, but that's not always the case."
The latest event planned in Darren's memory, which will take place on Saturday October 15 at Newton Aycliffe Big Club features former Newcastle United forward Peter Beardsley, who will talk about his career and appearances at the World Cup in 1986 and 1990. There will also be a raffle of signed Newcastle United, Middlesbrough, England and West Ham shirts - as well as memorabilia from Beardsley's former team the Vancouver White Caps.
Mark hopes that the event will raise enough money to purchase another five defibrillators. He said: "When you watch your mate die in front of you, you need to do something about it
"It's really imperative that we show Darren that the community is not forgetting about him. It's about pulling the whole community together and showing that we can all work together and try to make things happen as a team."
Darren's loss is still being felt in Newton Aycliffe, though nowhere more so than at home. And sadly, he will never meet his fourth child who is due in matter of weeks, a boy who Donna says will be called Archer - as Darren wouldn't have liked him being named after him.
Remembering Darren, Donna said: "He was so laid back, nothing ever stressed him out ever. He always had a smile on his face, it didn't matter what was going on.
"He was always on the go, he wouldn't sit down, or stop, or chill, or watch the telly or anything, he always had to be doing something. He was a plasterer by trade and he loved making sure everyone else's house was fine except his own!
"He was fantastic, he doted on his kids. He lived for them, they had the best dad bless them, I don't know how they're managing to be honest.
"He was just a fantastic guy all round, he cared about everybody."
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