Life-saving equipment now in place at Wellingborough community centre

Northamptonshire Police’s bike recycling project, Cycl-opps, had been hoping to raise money from bike sales to buy a defibrillator for the Hemmingwell Community Centre in Wellingborough.

But after hearing about the plan, Darren Lafferty and the Rev Paul Frost contacted Cycl-opps to donate one.

Darren lost his son Thomas McNamee, 10, after he suffered a cardiac arrest in 2014.

He has since been campaigning to get more life-saving defibrillators in schools and improve awareness.

DS Dina Sunderland said: “The Cycl-opps project aims to recycle bikes and achieve as much good as we can for communities and individuals in the process which is why we had earmarked a percentage of sales towards this cause.

“I am really grateful for the generosity shown by all those involved in getting this defibrillator in place.

“These kits do save lives and the first time this gets used will be a special day knowing that it will give that person a chance at life, which will be so important for both them and their families.”

The defibrillator has now been fitted to the outside of the Hemmingwell Community Centre.

According to the British Heart Foundation, for every minute which passes without CPR and defibrillation, a person’s chances of survival decreases by around 10 per cent.