More defibs in Salisbury as Scouts, Street Pastors and more secure grant funds

STREET pastors and Scout leaders are among the latest community groups to make defibrillators available to the public in the Salisbury area.

A potentially lifesaving automated external defibrillator (AED) has been installed at Dennis Marsh House on Westminster Road. 

The device is mounted on an external wall and is available 24/7.

Volunteers benefitted from grant funding from the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC)'s Community Automated External Defibrillators Fund, which provides £750 in match funding to bring AEDs to more public places.

Applications to the DHSC are managed by grant administration company Smarter Society and charity London Hearts.

Salisbury resident and photographer Spencer Mulholland volunteers his time to help community groups through the application process.

Cllr Chris Taylor, Poppy Cavanagh, Matthew King and the 6th Salisbury Cubs next to the defibrillator (Image: Spencer Mulholland)

First aid course provider Winterbury Training will run a session at the Scout HQ that community members can join from 3pm on Sunday, March 2.

John Wyeth, a member of the Scout HQ management committee, said: “Scouting is very happy to support where it can anything for the benefit of the community.

“Please, if you can, come along to the familiarisation session on March 2.”

Salisbury's Street Pastors, who patrol the city on Friday and Saturday nights to offer help and a listening ear, now have a portable defibrillator.

The pastors successfully applied for a £500 grant at the latest Salisbury Area Board meeting to help them make the purchase.

The rest of the funding came from the DHSC and an anonymous businessperson.

Alan Corkill, Stevie Williams, Peter Mitchell, Carolyn Port and Michael Bell next to the new AED. (Image: Spencer Mulholland)

An AED has also been installed outside the One Stop shop on Barrington Road in Bishopdown, available to the public at all times.

The installation was made possible by a £750 donation from Salisbury Rotary Club and match funding obtained through the DHSC scheme.

Free CPR and defibrillator training will be provided by Winterbury Training to community members at Bishopdown Evangelical Church at 6.30pm on February 25.

The village of Wilsford cum Lake now has a device at its central bus stop, and staff at city centre venues Botanic and The Chapel Nightclub took part in a joint CPR and defibrillator training day on November 19.

Staff take part in CPR and defibrillator training at Botanic Cocktail Bar (Image: Spencer Mulholland) Spencer, who has previously helped The Duke of York pub and Jaffa's Health Centre for Cats have through the fund application process, said: “If any other community is interested in having a defibrillator in their area, there are grants available.

“I would be very happy to help them.”