The team at Newquay Orchard have been awarded £500 by Newquay Towan Blystra Lions to support their fundraising efforts to secure a defibrillator for the community greenspace.
Jack Greaves, a delivery officer at Newquay Orchard, is behind the fundraising activities. He believes the potentially life-saving machine will be an asset to the community orchard. He said: “Defibrillators, or defibs, can dramatically increase the chances of someone surviving a cardiac arrest. As Newquay Orchard grows, with volunteers and visitors, we think it will be a valuable asset to the greenspace.”“The safety of our community is important to us we want people volunteering or visiting here to be happy and healthy in nature. We want to say a huge thank you to the Towan Blystra Lions for this donation, it’s going to make a big difference to Newquay Orchard,” Jack added.The Towan Blystra Lions were given a tour of the urban greenspace before awarding the fundraising team the donation.
Jill Bunt, President of Newquay Towan Blystra Lions said “We are delighted to be helping this project get underway. Some of our members recently attended a first aid course and that highlighted the advantages of having quick access to a defibrillator. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour. There is so much going on. If you haven’t visited the Orchard, go and have a walk around. Treat yourself to a cup of coffee. I can also recommend the chocolate brownies!”
A group of Newquay Orchard volunteers were recently given first aid training to build upon their personal skill bases and highlight the importance of first aid in the community. This training included learning how to use a defib, CPR and how to put someone in the recovery position, as well as other vital techniques.The British Heart Foundation website states that anyone can suffer a cardiac arrest. By performing CPR and using a defibrillator a person who is suffering a cardiac arrest will have the best chance of survival, but in some situations there isn’t a defibrillator close by. The defibrillator at Newquay Orchard will be public access meaning anyone who needs it can use it and will be part of a national network.
With this valued donation Newquay Orchard are a quarter of the way to achieving their fundraising goal. If the team manage to secure more than the £2000 goal needed to buy and install the defibrillator then the additional funding will be put towards first aid training for more volunteers at Newquay Orchard.Local businesses can get involved by sponsoring the defibrillator in return for a plaque. It will be placed alongside the machine which will be installed on the side of the Kowel Gwenen community building. If any businesses or organisations would like to be a sponsor and help the fundraising effort then they can email info@newquayorchard.co.uk for more information.
The public will also have the chance to join in on the fun with an upcoming fundraising week starting Monday 13 June. Activities throughout the week will include a sponsored walk, a teddy bears picnic for toddlers, an afternoon tea for older grown-ups, and a music and pizza evening with Canteen at the Orchard. Visitors to Newquay Orchard will be able to buy wildflower posies throughout the week of fundraising with all proceeds going towards the defibrillator.
The Newquay Orchard team would like to extend their thanks to the Towan Blystra Lions for their generous donation and to the difference they make to the local community.
Newquay Orchard is a 7 acre urban green space built by the community, for the community. Just a patch of Duchy land in January 2015 it is now home to a traditional heritage fruit orchard. Newquay Orchard offers volunteering opportunities for adults and outdoor education programmes for young people with teaching sustainability, ending social deprivation and promoting biodiversity at its core. Local people and organisations can share our space through the Kowel Gwenen Co-workspace, Canteen at the Orchard and through the use of our community meeting rooms. Find out more here: newquayorchard.co.uk