Life saving equipment was installed in the 24-hour Ravenswood McDonald’s yesterday.
The defibrillator will be easily accessible to residents at all times with all ongoing costs for the heart-restarter, including a back-up battery, insurance and security, paid for by the fast-food chain.
Sam Murray, 31, a personal business owner, along with other members of the Ravenswood Residence Association, drove the campaign to purchase a new defibrillator that could be accessed round the clock.
She said: “We had a resident go into cardiac arrest in the middle of the night back in April.
“We live near a care home with a machine and a nearby shop also has one but out of hours we have absolutely no access to a defibrillator.”
The incident inspired Mrs Murray to push for the purchase of a new machine and thankfully, Ipswich travel agents, Eastravel were more than happy to pay for the new machine.
Dorothy Heng, one of the company’s directors, said: “I became aware of the defibrillator issue from the Ravenswood Residents’ Facebook page, it was clear to me from the comments there that if no-one stepped forward, one more positive initiative would come to nothing.
“Budget remained in this year’s Eastravel charity project; so we decided to support this life-saving cause.”
With the new machine ready to go, it was left to Sam to find a suitable spot for it to be installed and for someone to pay for the upkeep.
Sam said: “I did a lot of research into this and saw that some defibrillators on the outside of buildings were damaged near here so I knew that we needed somewhere where the machine could be protected but still accessible.
“McDonald’s was the perfect location and I really wanted it, they said yes straight away, some people give them a bad wrap but anytime I communicate with them they have been open and helpful.
“They have come to our ATM meetings and sent loads of staff to our community litter pick, they want to be part of this residence.”
Sam may have won a victory for Ravenswood but now she is looking to train her neighbours and friends to use the machines.
She said: “I hope that we can empower people to realise that they will be able to save a life.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here