CHARITY chiefs at an Evesham DIY store have praised the town’s generous festive shoppers who have helped them smash their £900 target for a life-saving defibrillator to be installed.
Staff from B&Q on the Four Pools Retail Park have joined colleagues nationwide for the challenge together with the charity Hand on Heart which aims to see the equipment appear in all of the retailer’s UK stores.
As well as providing the life-saving equipment in store in the event of a cardiac arrest, the challenge also aims to raise enough money to further raise awareness of cardiac arrest in the young.
Members of staff kicked off a raffle on Saturday (December 14) and had smashed their £900 total by Wednesday (December 18) as caring Vale shoppers showed their support by picking up tickets to be in with a chance of winning a number of prizes.
Among the prizes on offer is a Dolce Gusto coffee machine with two boxes of coffee pods donated by Currys, artwork by local artists Kay Mcgowan-Praet and Jo Morris, a £25 voucher for Strawberry Fields, cream tea for two at Hampton Farm Shop and a decorated table top Christmas tree and Garden Daisy Sydney Smith, Bespoke Iron and Steel.
Bosses at B&Q have donated an 18v Black and Decker drill while Vicki Baker of The Hair Hub Evesham has offered a £20 gift voucher. A £10 gift card from H Samuel, a car cleaning kit from Halfords, vintage crafts and a luxury dog duvet and doggy goody bag from Just for Pets are also on offer.
The fund-raising bid was given a kick start with a £100 donation from Nigel Francis of County Cladding Systems and shoppers have until Sunday to get their tickets for £1. The draw will be held at 9am on Monday (December 23).
Rebecca Hitchcock from the store said: “We have had a fantastic response from local businesses, who have donated some wonderful prizes for this and we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the general public.”
Hand on Heart’s mission is to keep children safe and prevent the deaths of the 12 young people who die of sudden cardiac arrest each week in the UK.
In March 2010 Hand on Heart was established as a national campaign to raise awareness of cardiac arrest in the young and the need for defibrillators in schools and became a registered charity in January 2012.
Visit www.handonheart.org for more.
