Viewpoint sheltered housing tenants install defibrillator

Tenants at an Edinburgh sheltered housing complex have clubbed together to install a life-saving defibrillator, which can be used by any member of the public in an emergency.

Residents from Viewpoint Housing Association’s Gillespie Lodge flats in Bruntsfield worked with St John Scotland to install the device as part of the St John and the City project, which has seen more than 135 defibrillators placed across the capital.

The idea for the defibrillator came from a Viewpoint tenant, who had been a paramedic and knows first-hand the importance of having the devices readily available in an emergency.

Speaking as the emergency device was officially unveiled this week, Viewpoint Housing Association Officer Ray Chambers said:

“The tenants were determined that a defibrillator should be provided at Gillespie Lodge, not just for the benefit of the residents in our 112 flats here, but also for their neighbours in the local community.”

It is thought this is the first public access defibrillator to be installed by a housing association in Edinburgh, and it is hoped that others will soon follow in their footsteps.

Lynn Cleal runs the St John and the City defibrillator project on behalf of St John Scotland. She said:

“We want to say a huge thank you to the residents at Gillespie Lodge for their generous donation to provide this defibrillator. We hope other residents’ groups and housing associations will be inspired to install their own defib’ – the more we have available to the public, the more lives will be saved.”

Charity St John Scotland is committed to increasing access to public access defibrillators in local communities, and works together with community groups, small businesses and others to help provide the devices across the country. As a partner of Save a Life for Scotland, the campaign to help 500,000 Scots learn bystander CPR, they are also keen to help train members of the public life-saving CPR skills, and offer this training alongside the provision of defibrillators.

If housing associations or tenants' groups would like to find out how they can get involved, they should visit www.stjohnscotland.org.uk or contact info@stjohnscotland.org.uk.