Lifesaving equipment is unveiled in Kilsyth

The ‘heart of Kilsyth project’ is a collaboration between Kilsyth and Villages Community Assistance and local councillor Mark Kerr which fundraised and planned for the installation of this facility over the past year.

Major contributors to the project included LA Travel (Queenzieburn), Kilsyth Community Football Club, The Rotary Club of Kilsyth and the Coachman Hotel.

Cheryl Kennedy, chairwoman of the Comunity Assistance group, said: “Following a number of heart attacks in Kilsyth I noticed there was no facility available 24 hours a day to the general public in order to save a life – we now provide that solution.”

“The Coachman is the best and most central location to have this facility. I thank the Coachman for agreeing to host this unit, as well as all the local groups, businesses and individuals who donated towards this lifesaver.

“If only one life is saved by the use of this defibrillator then it is worth every single penny.”

Councillor Kerr added: “Like a lot of areas in Scotland heart disease is a major issue in Kilsyth. Working with this group we identified the lack of public access to a defibrillator and worked within the community to identify a location and raise its funding.

“We will present a plan to train as many people in Kilsyth on CPR and defibrillator use so Kilsyth residents have a better chance of survival following a heart trauma.

“This plan will take a year to progress and we hope to have upwards of 300 people trained by the start of 2020.

“This is a project by the community for the community and I am glad to have played my part.”