A public defibrillator has been installed in an Airdrie village, thanks to a community effort completed by family and friends in memory of the man who began the project.
The lifesaving device is now in place outside Dickson’s Chemist on Coatbridge Road in the centre of Glenmavis and is available at any time should it be needed to provide vital assistance in the event of a cardiac emergency.
Fundraising to install the equipment was begun last year by local resident David Morgan, who then sadly passed away in October aged 75 – with his wife Anne and friends ensuring the work was completed and also installating a plaque bearing his name beside the defibrillator.
Anne told Lanarkshire Live: “It’s there for everybody in the community or anyone who is passing through to use – if someone takes ill, it’s there to be accessed 24/7 and it’s registered on the online map so emergency services know it’s there.
“Glenmavis has never had a public defibrillator available anywhere nearby before and it’s such an important thing; it’s a major achievement by everybody to have raised the money and put this in place for the community in the village.
“Local businesses helped and lots of family, friends and residents contributed; so many people got on board and this has only been achievable thanks to everyone’s fantastic generosity.”
David was inspired to work to have a defibrillator placed in his home village, where he and Anne had lived for the past 18 years, following conversations with paramedics who had previously assisted him in relation to a heart condition.
He and Anne began writing to local firms last autumn to ask for their support in contributing to the £1700 cost of the equipment; and following his sad passing, Anne and friends including Minnie Hutton and Margaret Cummings formed the Glenmavis defibrillator group to complete the project.
The trio attend the Martha Logan line dancing class in the village and added to the funds with sales of home baking and collecting further contributions from community members who wanted to support the project.
Fundraising had been completed within six months and the defibrillator is now in place outside the pharmacy, thanks to the “brilliant” support of owner Stephen Dickson and the help of local electrician Jason Duncan in installing it.
Anne added: “It was amazing how everyone came together, and the brilliant support I’ve had from everyone in helping to have this put in place.
“It’s a nice memorial to David and if it even helps one person then it will be really worthwhile; I’m pleased to see it there and it’s nice that there’s the plaque to David too.”
The memorial is a fitting tribute to David, who was a leading light in disability sports, including establishing Monklands disabled sports club nearly four decades ago.
His many achievements included captaining the British sitting volleyball team, running various disability sports groups including bowling, and setting up South Lanarkshire wheelchair curling club two decades ago – continuing to serve as its chairman until his death.
Anne said: “He did a lot of work for disabled people and was very well thought of by so many people.
“He lost his legs in a work accident when he was 19 but he always stayed active, worked all his life and did so much in sport and in ensuring everything was in place for disabled people.
“David was always involved in sports and started a lot of clubs for people with disabilities – he just loved helping people, and this is a nice way to remember him.”
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