Support In ~ and From ~ The Community For Our Defibrillator Campaign

Our final fundraiser of our busy summer season is now complete, and there’s exciting news to go with it!

It’s been a busy year so far, with 2019 proving to be a year when our volunteers’ First Aid skills have been in demand: at community events, in the course of Shouts, and as a service for the public and the local community during our Sunday sessions at the boathouse.

This being the case, the PLIRB volunteers and committee decided that a Public Access Defibrillator (PAD), which could be installed at the boathouse would be an extremely useful first aid and community resource. The only problem was raising the funds to buy one …

But plans to raise the funds were given a welcome boost when friend of the Pett Level Independent Rescue Boat, Mike Raxworthy decided to put on a music festival event as a way of supporting us. Mike teamed up with Garry Fellows of the Two Sawyers in Pett to provide a music event in the sunshine, and an afternoon to remember in September.

One busy afternoon of community support later ….

There was a fantastic turn out for the event, with the local community and visitors to the area alike getting behind the event. Across the whole afternoon of fundraising, which included optional bar-tab donations, live music with donation points, donation buckets, and a PLIRB-stall with star-prize raffle and merchandise, the event raised a total of £1600.

This, alongside a community donation from Riddelcourt Caravan Park, meant that our defibrillator-cost fundraising goal was no sooner launched than it was achieved!

 

This meant we’ve been able to buy the defibrillator much more quickly than anticipated – in fact, we were able to have it delivered and in pride of place as part of the formal cheque presentation of the funds. Both Mike Raxworthy and Garry Fellows came down to the PLIRB boathouse at the end of September, with the cheque and plenty of smiles.

Making this happen has really boosted the support we’re able to offer in the local community, so our heartfelt thanks go to:

  • Mike Raxworthy
  • Garry Fellows & staff of the Two Sawyers
  • The Harry Randle-Marsh Band
  • Soul Train
  • 1066 Rockitt Men
  • Michael Turner
  • ,,, and everyone who supported or contributed to the huge success of this event.

 Thanks also to the community at Riddelcourt Caravan Site, for their generous support of this campaign.

At the time of posting, the defibrillator is safely inside the boathouse whilst we wait for the appropriate casing to be able to install this to the outside of the boathouse, ready for community use. This should take place within the next few weeks.

** Thanks also to Rother Responders for their help and advice in making the purchase. If you’d like to know more about Rother Responders, or more about PADs, please check out the Rother Responders website**