The Mayor of Solihull has joined members of the Elmdon community to mark the installation of an automatic external defibrillator and bleed control kit on the outside of Elmdon Church.
Chris Rumney, an active volunteer in the Elmdon community, started her campaign to install a public access defibrillator in Elmdon Park early last year. The defibrillator and bleed kit were donated by West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS).
An external cabinet is required to house the defibrillator and bleed kit on Elmdon Church’s exterior for public accessibility. Elmdon Church had to apply for and obtain special permission from the Archdiocese to install the cabinet due to the Church’s Grade II listed status. The cost of the installation was funded by the Elmdon Park Support Group, through sales of their Elmdon Park 2024 calendar.
The launch event on Thursday 15 August saw the Mayor meet Chris and other community representatives to learn about the eighteen months of liaising, coordinating and fundraising that was required. The defibrillator and bleed kit were placed in their cabinet for the first time and Andy Jeynes, paramedic from local charity FastAid, ran a community training session on how to use the new equipment.
The Mayor of Solihull, Cllr Shahin Ashraf MBE, said:
“I was amazed to hear about the journey that Chris has been on to get this vitally important public access defibrillator and bleed kit installed at Elmdon Church. She’s overcome many obstacles with such determination and is a true pillar of the local community.
“I want to offer my sincere congratulations on the success of this project to Chris and the other project leads from Elmdon Church and Elmdon Park Support Group members who have worked so hard to make this happen. This is a life changing and lifesaving gift.”
Chris said:
“This project wouldn’t have been possible without the all the support I’ve had from Elmdon Church, Elmdon Park Support Group and West Midlands Ambulance Service over the last eighteen months. There were so many ups and downs on this journey, but our success is a testament to what you can achieve when community groups come together and work as a team.
“It’s so important to have public access defibrillators and bleed kits available in community open spaces like our parks, making this equipment easily accessible really does save lives. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported this project."
For more information about defibrillators, visit the West Midlands Ambulance Service’s website. In an emergency, always dial 999.