Life-saving defibrillators, paid for by public fundraising, have been installed in Newmarket by the human welfare charity Racing Welfare for the benefit of the horseracing industry and wider communities.
Tragically, less than one in 10 people survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, but by learning CPR and how to use a defibrillator, you are giving someone their best chance of survival. So, on Restart a Heart Day, which takes place on October 16th, Racing Welfare wants to raise awareness of the defibrillators it has recently installed, in the hopes they will save lives.
Two defibrillators have been installed outside accommodation owned by Racing Welfare’s housing provider Racing Homes and were purchased with funds raised by the 2023 Henry Cecil Open Weekend. They can be found at the following locations: 22 Jack Jarvis Close, Newmarket, CB8 8HY and the archway at Jim Joel Court, Howard De Walden Way, Newmarket, CB8 0LX.
Aimee Hockley-Righton, Racing Welfare Regional Welfare Manager, said: “Our mission at Racing Welfare is to enhance and support the wellbeing of racing’s people, so the installation of defibrillators in the racing centre of Newmarket is just another way the charity is supporting the sector. The defibs we have installed are also accessible to the wider public too, so we want to raise awareness of their locations and encourage everyone to take the opportunity this Restart a Heart Day to know where their nearest defib is – it could save lives.
“It’s thanks to the generosity of the public that we have been able to install these defibrillators. We rely upon donations to carry out the vital support we provide to the workforce of British racing and would like to thank the organisers of the Henry Cecil Open Weekend for choosing Racing Welfare to benefit from funds raised at the event.”
Restart a Heart (RSAH) is an annual initiative led by Resuscitation Council UK which aims to increase the number of people surviving out of hospital cardiac arrests. It is run in partnership with The British Heart Foundation, British Red Cross, St John Ambulance, the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, NHS England and Improvement, Save a Life for Scotland, St Andrew’s First Aid, Save a Life Cymru, and Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. In 2018, the initiative went global with the formation of World Restart a Heart (WRSAH).
To find your nearest defibrillator, please visit: www.defibfinder.uk