Northamptonshire bakery raises £1,200 for British Heart Foundation after customer suffers cardiac arrest in shop
A Northamptonshire bakery has raised £1,200 for the British Heart Foundation after a customer suffered a cardiac arrest inside the shop earlier this year.
Els Bakes, in Wollaston, organised a community fundraising event to raise awareness of lifesaving CPR skills following the traumatic incident in January.
Business owner Eleanor Broome, aged 28, and employee Rebekah Campbell, aged 21, were working when the customer collapsed.
The man's son and daughter-in-law immediately performed CPR before emergency services arrived.
Paramedics later credited their quick actions with helping save his life, and the customer has since made a full recovery.
Determined to turn the experience into something positive, Eleanor organised an event featuring CPR demonstrations and emergency advice from a Community First Responder and a London Ambulance Service paramedic.
The fundraiser took place on Sunday, October 18, following the British Heart Foundation's Restart a Heart Day.
Eleanor said: “After what happened, I wanted to make something positive from such a traumatic experience. Not enough people know CPR, what to do in an emergency, or where to find their nearest defibrillator.
“My hope was that everyone who came along would leave having learned something that could one day save a life.”
The event raised £1,200 through community support.
Eleanor added: “In the days after the cardiac arrest, I honestly didn't know whether we’d be able to walk back into the ‘Pink Shop’ again.
“We’re a small business in a small village, so raising this amount of money and awareness means so much to us.”
The bakery thanked customers, friends, family and other supporters who helped make the event a success.