Spar NI marks Air Ambulance Week with defibrillator donation

Henderson Group, which owns Spar franchise in Northern Ireland, has donated a new automated external defibrillator to Air Ambulance Northern Ireland to mark Air Ambulance Week 2021.

The potentially lifesaving device can be seen outside of over 240 Spar, Eurospar and Vivo branded stores across Northern Ireland.

Glenn O’Rorke, operational lead paramedic with the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) received the device on behalf of Air Ambulance NI. “Henderson Group has done a fantastic job extending the number of defibrillators throughout NI and we are very pleased to now have one at our airbase. We hope that it is never needed but it could help save a life,” he said.

The device was handed over by Henderson Group’s Bronagh Luke and Mark Baillie of MKB Medical, who supplies the devices.

Luke spearheaded the Heart of the Community campaign throughout the local Spar, Eurospar and Vivo network to install devices outside stores, therefore available 24/7 for the local community.

She commented: “Air Ambulance NI needs to raise £2 million each year to maintain the vital services it provides in Northern Ireland including providing essential, life-saving devices such as this AED. Recently, we have called upon retailers with devices already registered on the NI Ambulance Service network to register them on the British Heart Foundation’s new National Defibrillator Network, The Circuit, enabling even faster response times and more lives saved.”

O’Rorke added: “We share a lot in common with the Heart of the Community initiative. Our aim is to save lives and ensure the local community have pre-hospital critical care, should it ever be needed. We’re so grateful to all at Henderson Group, Spar NI and MKB Medical for helping us offer more of these services locally.”

Air Ambulance NI’s new device will reside outside the organisation’s headquarters on Halftown Road in Lisburn, which will also be registered to The Circuit and available 24/7 should it be needed locally.

Air Ambulance Week is dedicated to raising awareness and funds for the lifesaving work of the UK’s air ambulance charities. It takes place from 06 – 12 September, with Air Ambulance NI organising a series of initiatives.