A lifesaving defibrillator has been installed outside an East Kilbride pub in memory of lost loved ones.
Following the sudden deaths of two staff member's dads to heart complications, The Kittoch held a fundraiser for the British Heart Foundation and raised £3000 to enable them to purchase the equipment.
General manager Jamie McKenna told Lanarkshire Live : "The reason behind us raising money was we lost a couple of people close to us at The Kittoch in a short period of time - Brian and Donny.
"We decided to hold a fundraiser for the British Heart Foundation that allowed us to get a defibrillator and case for the community that we will power and upkeep to use for anybody in the community who might be in need."
Jamie said they wouldn't have raised enough funds without the support of regular punter Davie McCann who has helped his local raise around £20,000 for local charities through race nights and other fundraising events.
Jamie added: "Davie has been a massive part of our fundraising efforts; from hosting race nights to collecting incredible prizes from golf experience days to flat screen TV's.
"Without the help from him our fundraising efforts wouldn’t be the same."
Davie helped the Kittoch team raise £5400 in one night for Cardiomyopathy UK and has also collected bucketloads of cash for local sports teams and community groups, as well as Macmillan Cancer Support - Greene King's charity partner.
Davie commented: "It’s easy for us to show support when it’s close to home we couldn’t do it without the community we care so much about."
Every minute without CPR or defibrillation reduces a person’s chance of surviving a cardiac arrest by around 10 per cent.
In Scotland currently less than one in ten people will survive a cardiac arrest outside of hospital.
Estelle Stephenson, survival programme lead at the British Heart Foundation, said: "Increasing the number of publicly accessible defibrillators in our communities – alongside more of us learning CPR skills – can play a vital role in these critical moments.
"Defibrillators are simple and easy to use as they talk you through the steps to take, and so there’s no reason to feel nervous about using them.
"We want everyone to have the best chance of survival.
"That’s why we’ve launched The Circuit: The National Defibrillator Database, a pioneering database that aims to map every defibrillator in the UK connecting them to the ambulance services.
"We’re asking everyone who looks after a defibrillator to upload it to The Circuit.
"It only takes 10 minutes to register and 60 seconds later your defibrillator will be visible to the local ambulance service, ready to save a life."
Find out more and register your defibrillator here.
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