A church-led community initiative has led to the installation of a lifesaving defibrillator in the village of Ryton.
The Lord Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear, Lucy Winskell OBE, attended a special ceremony and service on Sunday 6 October, where she dedicated it to the community.
The defibrillator has been located outside Ryton Community Centre, which is near to Holy Cross Church and the Ye Old Cross community pub. It will serve the lower part of Ryton village.
All three organisations collaborated to make the project happen. The defibrillator was provided by national charity Red Sky Foundation, which supports babies, children and adults who suffer from heart conditions and are in need of cardiac care. It was installed by IBS Security Solutions.
“We really needed a defibrillator in this part of the village,” said churchwarden Sue McGinn. “We’re delighted to get to this stage and are thankful for the invaluable contributions of all involved.
“We are in a conservation area and this came with a few challenges, but we received consent to go ahead in July and the defibrillator was installed a few weeks ago. The church, community centre and pub are all buildings where people congregate, and we felt it was right to push for a defibrillator at this location.”
On Sunday 6 October, the Lord Lieutenant was joined by other dignitaries and guests, as well as church and community centre representatives. A word of welcome by the Rector of Holy Cross, the Revd Alison Stewart Smith, was followed by a few words from Sergio Petrucci, of Red Sky Foundation and a speech from the Lord Lieutenant. A church service then took place, aptly titled ‘A Harvest of the Heart’ which concluded with refreshments.
The Revd Alison Stewart Smith expressed her gratitude to all involved with the project. She thanked the Community Association for allowing the defibrillator to be located on the outside of its building, and Ryton Cross Community Society (which supports the community-run pub), for pledging to fund the ongoing running costs.
She also thanked Ed Collins who will serve as guardian for the new defibrillator, and both Sergio and his wife Emma, of Red Sky Foundation for providing the equipment and making it all possible.
She added: “An idea initially floated in a Holy Cross Church council meeting, Sue McGinn was instrumental in leading what became a real community effort to bring it to fruition.
“We hope it (the defibrillator) will not be needed much, but it's reassuring to know it's there in an emergency."
Other dignitaries present were: the Deputy Mayor of Gateshead, Freda Geddes, and Consort Alex Geddes; and Ward Councillor Chris Buckley.
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Photo 1, left to right: Sergio Petrucci OBE, Red Sky Foundation and The Lord Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear, Lucy Winskell OBE at the installation of the new defibrillator in the village of Ryton.
Photo 2, left to right: Sue McGinn, churchwarden Holy Cross Church; Councillor Chris Buckley and his daughter; Freda Geddes, Deputy Mayor; Sergio Petrucci OBE, Red Sky Foundation; The Lord Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear, Lucy Winskell OBE; Alex Geddes, Deputy Mayor’s Consort; and Revd Alison Stewart Smith, Rector of Holy Cross Church.