New defibrillator installed in Dromore town centre
A NEW defibrillator has been installed in Dromore town centre, thanks to the generosity of the local community.
The fundraising drive for a defibrillator was spearheaded by local resident and tireless charity campaigner, Peter Branker.
The potentially life-saving device is located on the side of the library building at Dromore Square.
Peter thanked everyone who made it possible: “I’m a keen fundraiser and volunteer for many charities.
“The biggest hurdle was to get the permission to put it on the library, which is a listed building, so, I’m grateful to Alderman Paul Rankin who was instrumental in helping get the necessary permission.
“I held a couple of collections locally - at Eurospar and in SuperValu and I did a quiz night in Mulholland’s Bar in Dromore.
“I managed to collect £750 and £550 through the collections, and then at the quiz we had 21 teams turn up!
“It really showed the community’s support for getting a defibrillator for the town centre.
“With the fundraisers we managed to raise enough to get it installed.
“I approached a charity called London Hearts, who supply communities with defibrillators and things like that, at a discounted rate.
“The cost for the defibrillator and casing was about £1,100 - so it worked out around £500 cheaper.
“Jamie McCutcheon, from Dromore Chamber of Commerce, also did a sponsored spinathon at one of the local markets towards the defibrillator fund.
“Any money that is left over, I’m giving to the chamber and they are going to hold onto it for when the defibrillator needs new pads or batteries.”
Peter added: “I like helping the community in any way I can.
“I feel it is important to have a defibrillator in the town centre - and that people know it’s there.
“You can start an initiative on your own but, without people’s support, you can’t get anything done. So, I want to thank everyone who generously contributed.”
Peter is now on a mission to establish the location of other defibrillators in Dromore.
“I need the community’s help to make a map of all the defibrillators in Dromore that are available both daily and 24 hours a day.
“It is important that we, as a community, all know where we can access these defibrillators as every second counts.”
Meanwhile, Dromore DUP councillor Paul Rankin has praised Peter for his community efforts.
“Many thanks to Peter for leading on this and to all who contributed to the fundraising campaign,” he said.