03/12/2023
OK here goes, this is going to be an emotional one.
6 weeks ago my Sister had the worst imaginable thing happen to her. Her partner had a cardiac arrest and subsequently passed away. He was 32.
Watching my beautiful Sister go through that pain and watch James' family say goodbye far too soon is one of the hardest things I've ever witnessed.
As a family member, you feel helpless. You want to make it better. As a big Sister and an Aunty to Jake I want to take that pain away but I can't.
When James went into cardiac arrest, Jodie did all of the right things. She went to get the closest public defibrillator at the instruction of the paramedics. Upon arriving at our local Tesco, she was told she could not have it. This was not Tesco's policy but the result of poor training and education.
Following James' death, I felt like I needed to do something. I can't change what has happened but I can make sure our community has access to this vital equipment 24 hours a day. Not only due to the impact on my family but also the impact to our community.
Me and Cllr Kelly Middleton - Woodside ward have part funded via our Telford & Wrekin Council Councillor Pride Fund a defibrillator that will be installed outside of Park Lane Centre Telford for anyone to access 24/7.
The department of Health and Social Care have also funded this. It will be installed at the end of the week.
I want to say a huge thank you to Carl at Park Lane who has worked really hard to secure this for us.
I am heart broken for my Sister and James' family and I will work hard to raise awareness across communities about the importance of defibrillators and the correct procedures in James' memory.
For all of my fellow Councillors, I urge you to locate your public defibrillators in community centres, shops etc and find out if ALL staff know to give it to someone who asks for it. Don't take it for granted that they will just know.
If you don't have one in your ward, please consider using your Pride Fund to install one. You can find the locations here: https://www.defibfinder.uk/