The Heartbeat of Sport team visited the Highbury school in Brighouse last week to present them with their first on-site defibrillator. During a special assembly of the schools pupils and parents held in the main hall, Tony Tonks addressed the assembly to officially hand over their first Automated external Defibrillator.
We first learned about Highbury School in 2013. Steve Whittaker who is the Estate Manager at the school, had heard about Heartbeats work and got in touch to see if there was anything that could be done to help get the school a defib on-site.
The team visited the school following the meeting and delivered a presentation to staff and parents of pupils from Highbury about the true dangers of cardiac arrest during physical exercise and how incidents can be controlled as much as possible if SCA does ever strike.
Since then the school’s charity, Friends of Highbury, have been fundraising through a host of different events to acquire enough money top purchase the school a defib and earlier on this year raised their target collection which would allow them to do so.
They have worked extremely hard at Highbury school and during the assembly, the Heartbeat team had another little surprise for everyone. Because the students, parents, staff and friends at Highbury school have managed to raise the money for a defibrillator putting in the school, Heartbeat of Sport are going to provide ten of their staff with accredited AED and CPR training, which will allow them to respond properly and effectively if ever a serious situation happens.
So Highbury School have become the latest to add a defibrillator into their every day lives and can be fully assured that they now have the equipment they need to battle a Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Well done Highbury!
