The Philip Maher Foundation unveils new defibrillator along with Newground Together’s youth group at The Hub Shadsworth
Local councillors together with local charity founder, Stuart Maher joined young people and colleagues from Newground Together to officially unveil the hub’s new defibrillator.
he Hub at Shadsworth which is run by Newground Together – the independent charity which is part of the Together Housing group- gives those living in the community a dedicated space to come together. During one of the team’s youth clubs, young people took part in essential first aid training where they were told about the importance of defibrillators.
It was during this session when the young people spoke up and shared their concerns of having no defibrillator close enough to use in an emergency.
Newground Together staff found that the nearest life saving piece of equipment is an eight-minute walk away from the hub. Motivated by the concerns of the community, staff supported young people in their impressive fundraising for the defibrillator.
As the young people started their fundraising Senior Projects Officer, Hazel Parkinson reached out to one local charity based in Great Harwood, The Philip Maher Foundation. The foundation has been set up to help prevent other families from going through the awful tragedy of losing someone to a heart attack by providing public access automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at amateur sports grounds and in public places.
The Maher family launched the Foundation in memory of their late father Philip. Philip was a well loved and respected gentleman and amateur footballer of over 30 years.
Hazel reached out to Stuart to ask if the charity might be able to contribute to the fundraising.
Between the efforts of the young people and the generosity of the Philip Maher Foundation the community in Shadsworth can now benefit from having an accessible defibrillator that may help save lives in the future.
Hazel said: “When our young people said they wanted to fundraise for a defibrillator, we knew we had to support them in any way possible to make that happen. Their enthusiasm to make this a reality has been outstanding and we are all so proud of what they have achieved.
“The young people of Shadsworth play a big role in making our community special. When we delivered our first aid training, they quickly understood the gravity of the situation and how a defibrillator could help save the lives of the people they call family and friends.
“We want to thank the young people for being so passionate about this but we also want to thank Stuart & everyone at the Philip Maher Foundation for their generosity. The charity does incredible work all year round to support organisations like Newground Together with fitting this life-saving equipment.”
Stuart Maher said:
I am delighted that our charity is in a position to donate a defibrillator to the Shadsworth Hub, aimed at bolstering the immediate response capabilities in the local community. By placing this life-saving device in the heart of Shadsworth, we hope to empower residents and visitors with a critical tool that can make a significant difference during cardiac emergencies.
This defibrillator and secure cabinet is the 32nd we have supported since 2015, with over £60,000 having been raised in memory of Phil, supporting local organisations with these life-saving devices.