ST MARY’S Catholic Primary School in Middlewich has been praised for valuing the ‘lifesaving potential of defibrillators’ after installing one of the machines in the school.


Children at the school pitched their favourite charitable causes to a panel of teachers and three were chosen to raise money towards.


Along with Cancer Research and Cafod, one of the causes was to raise money to buy a defibrillator.


Susan Noyce, head teacher at St Mary’s, said: “They had to come and pitch their ideas to us like Dragon’s Den but we called it Mrs Noyce’s Den.


“One of the ideas was for the defibrillator but we weren’t going to raise enough money to buy one.


“One of the children had recently been to a sporting event where one had been used.”


The children raised £280 and the rest was paid for by SADS UK.


Mrs Noyce added: “I think it’s very important that we have got this defibrillator. I am hoping we don’t ever have to use it but for the one-off chance that something might happen we can do something rather than just look on.”


SADS UK representatives and North West Ambulance Service paramedics went along to the school in Manor Lane on Tuesday, April 12, to train staff to use their new defibrillator.


Anne Jolly, Founder of SADS UK, the Ashley Jolly SAD Trust, said: “SADS UK is pleased that St Mary's Catholic Primary School understands the lifesaving potential of the defibrillator and has put a defibrillator in place to restart the heart if there is a cardiac arrest emergency.”


SADS UK Big Shock Campaign to make defibrillators available in all schools has the support of the ambulance services and most recently Dame Helen Mirren who heads the charity’s defibrillator leaflet urging for defibrillators to be in place in all schools to save lives.


The Department for Education is now advising schools of the lifesaving potential of having a defibrillator on the premises and SADS UK is assisting many schools to put the defibrillator and training in place.


For more about putting a defibrillator in schools, call Anne Jolly on 01277 811215 or email info@sadsuk.org.