Meeting of the Parliament 07 January 2020
I echo colleagues’ comments on Tom Arthur securing this important members’ business debate and on the work of the Levern Valley Defibrillator Community Partnership. I also put on record my congratulations and thanks to Douglas Yates, whom I have known for some years. I do not know him as well as Tom Arthur does, but I have had some dealings with him in the past. The work that Douglas Yates has undertaken on the defibrillator community partnership has been remarkable, and I congratulate him on it.
The partnership’s achievement in raising finance and awareness as well as in purchasing 23 devices in such a short space of time is incredible. Further, the heartstart training and the support of the British Heart Foundation and its nation of lifesavers campaign are pivotal in making people in our society feel safer about using a defibrillator. A challenge for many people is the fear of using a defib in case they cause harm. Breaking down that fear will help save lives, and training on using a defib is crucial not only to make communities feel safer but to actually make them safer.
Members will recall a members’ business debate that I held on 24 April 2018 on show some heart, the Jayden Orr campaign. I highlighted in that debate how the tragic passing of 10-year-old Jayden became the catalyst for the campaign. The Orr family have shown a strength and determination that will not exist in many people, and the respect and support that they have been shown by the Inverclyde community have been incredible. The campaign has been fully supported from the outset by the local newspaper—the Greenock Telegraph—and me.
The campaign has had a few twists and turns along the way, as every campaign does, but its results have been hugely positive. First, public awareness of the importance of defibs has increased hugely, with more and more people aware of the machines and how they can help. Secondly, local heartstart and BHF training sessions have seen an increase in uptake. I obtained my heartstart certificate in September 2018 and I encourage members across the chamber to sign up to training in their own areas. Thirdly, Kathleen Orr and her family have raised thousands of pounds, purchasing defibs with the money, many of which have been placed in local schools and other locations. As of last December, the number of defibs registered in Inverclyde has increased from three to 52. That huge increase is primarily a result of the fundraising to purchase more defibs and the awareness-raising campaign to get defibs registered.
The charity St Andrews First Aid was so moved by the Orr family and their actions after Jayden’s passing that it has become an integral partner in the campaign to ensure that Inverclyde will be the best-covered area in Scotland—and probably the UK—for defibs, as it is donating 30 defibs to my community. Stuart Callison and the team at St Andrews First Aid deserve huge credit for their support and I put on record my sincere thanks and that of everyone associated with the Jayden Orr campaign for their generous donation. The roll-out of those defibs in my community has already started, with the first being installed in November, in Larkfield in Greenock. Debbie Scobie was so moved by the campaign that she wanted to help, so she offered her house as the location of the first of the 30 defibs.
Yesterday, the Greenock Telegraph reported that Pat Dunn, who is an employee of local shipyard Ferguson Marine (Port Glasgow) Ltd, has offered to have a defib placed outside his house. Pat’s work colleagues helped to fundraise for the exterior box at his house, and in doing so the shipyard and its workforce showed their support for a community that has shown so much support for the yard.
I am immensely proud of my community and how it has continued to rally round the Jayden Orr campaign and the Orr family. Kathleen Orr won the prestigious Douglas Bremner special commendation award at the Scottish first aid awards ceremony on 15 November 2019. It was a privilege to be there to witness that. I am sure that the success of the campaign, which is making Inverclyde safer as a result, will be equally acknowledged by Kathleen and her family. Nothing will ever bring Jayden back, but placing defibs strategically across the community and helping to increase training are two ways to ensure that other families will not need to endure the loss of their child.
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