Duns Tew is to become a community of lifesavers thanks to funding the village has received from the Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Resilient Communities Fund.

 

The SSEN grant and additional funding from the Duns Tew Parish Council has enabled the Oxfordshire village to purchase and install a public access defibrillator (PAD) which has, in turn, led to the community being awarded a CPR training kit by the British Heart Foundation.

 

Innovative use of a decommissioned telephone box, means the lifesaving equipment is situated in the very heart of the village and is easily accessed by the trained residents. Duns Tew Parish Council now plan to run training sessions in the local community meaning everyone can become potential lifesavers.

 

Lucy Anderson, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks Customer Relationship Manager said: "This is another great example of how SSEN's Resilient Communities Fund can help residents to purchase the equipment they need to give their communities greater resilience."

 

"To date, over 130 awards have been made to community groups across central southern England and we'd encourage local communities to think about how the fund can help them. SSEN has recently launched the latest round of £285,000 of funding with individual awards of up to £20,000 available. Anyone interesting in applying can find out more by going to our website."

 

Duns Tew Parish Councillor Juliet Semple, who led the project, added:

"We are delighted to have raised enough money to help fund this lifesaving package. The defibrillator has been placed in the decommissioned BT telephone box on Main Street opposite the entrance to Daisy Hill Farm meaning that local people have the best chance of survival should they suffer a cardiac arrest. We're keen to get as many people as possible trained in CPR too."

 

Applications for the latest round of funding from the Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks Resilient Communities Fund are now open across central southern England, with up to £20,000 available to charities and local groups who wish to undertake a resilience project to help protect their communities in the event of an emergency.

Guidelines and applications forms are available on SSEN's website: www.ssen.co.uk/RCF/England/.

 

The closing date for applications is the 13 August 2017, with awards to be made in October 2017.