A lifesaving defibrillator situated outside Mad Dog Sports on Exchange Street was stolen 3 months ago.
Pictured: Owner of Mad Dog Sports Steve is shown left and staff member Jake with the brand-new unit outside the shop.
The defibrillator on the shop wall was purchased and installed in October 2019 by Cllr Jonathan Wheeler through his divisional fund from the County Council.
After it disappeared 3 months ago, the business owners of Mad Dog Sports decided to launch a fundraiser which would enable them to purchase a new defibrillator to replace it. For this they needed to raise £1,157.
On the 16th June the fundraiser was launched. Stephen Spencer, owner of Mad Dog Sports, said “We need to replace this as soon as possible, especially after this weekend’s reminder of how vital this equipment can be, with the collapse of Danish Footballer Christian Erikson from a cardiac arrest, and also the sad recent loss of a local cricketer.”
Within just 18 hours, they managed to raise the full total for a new defibrillator!
As donations have still been rolling in, these extra funds will be used to raise money for a second defibrillator which will be placed in another area of West Bridgford.
A huge thanks to Gotham Village Cricket Club who have donated a whopping £650 to the project. But of course, thank you to all who have donated.
During the publicity of this fundraiser, the original defibrillator had been found and returned to Mad Dog Sports. Stephen continued, “We’re currently cleaning it up and performing necessary checks on it to ensure it’s fully functional.
“We’re now fundraising for a £500 case (a cosy new home) and replacement equipment (pads and prep kits, etc) for the defibrillator. We’re also finding it a new home on the wall of another local West Bridgford Business!
“All that’s left to say is THANK YOU! We are so grateful and honoured to be part of such a fantastic community.”
If you would like to donate to this potentially lifesaving community project, please visit: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/maddogsports-defibrillator?utm_term=v6aeBmP3V