A community collaboration has seen new life-saving equipment installed in a residential area in Cranleigh.
The Park Mead defibrillator which is located at the rear of Londis was unveiled at the end of July. The unit was donated by Stephanie May-Hills who lost her husband Martin in 2021 to Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS) when he was just 32. As a tribute to her husband, Stephanie has committed to campaigning and fundraising to increase the number of defibrillators in the community.
Steve Shutts, Trustee at Cranleigh Hospital League of Friends says: “This project is a perfect example of how working together gets things done. The purchase of the unit was made possible by Stephanie and the national charity SADS UK, the logistics of siting and installing the defibrillator was the responsibility of Cranleigh Hospital League of Friends and the ongoing maintenance is being taken care of by Cranleigh Lions.
“It is our joint aim that in the event of a medical emergency, the whole of Cranleigh has close and easy access to a publicly accessible defibrillator, and that everyone knows where to find their nearest unit.”
To help raise community awareness about the location of Cranleigh’s defibrillators, the League of Friends is joining with the Cranleigh Lions in planning a family event for the whole community on Saturday 20 September. More information to follow soon! In the meantime, a map showing the positions of Cranleigh’s defibrillators can be seen at www.cranleigh-pc.gov.uk/Defibrillators_26934.aspx.
