Business owners in an Ipswich shopping parade are celebrating after a fundraising campaign to buy a defibrillator.
Ciro De Lellis, from Fircroft Hairdressing, in Fircroft Road, came up with the idea, as he saw the need for one in the community.
At the end of 2021, the salon owner organised a campaign and set a £2,000 target.
In less than two months, the shopping parade raised almost £3,000 with the Co-op, bakery, post office, pub, chemist and dry-cleaners in the parade backing the project.
Mr De Lellis said: “We are delighted that we have managed to raise enough money for a defibrillator.
"We thought for a shopping parade that caters to so many people, it was essential to have something that could potentially save someone’s life in our community.
“The chances of survival increase from 6% to 74% if a defibrillator is used within 5 minutes of a cardiac arrest. Hopefully, it is never needed, but it’s great to know that it is there and ready to use should it be needed.
“I can only thank all of our clients and friends who kindly donated, and praise all others that helped to surpass our original target.”
The project was supported by ward councillors Sam Murray and David Goldsmith who collectively put £1,200 of their locality budget towards the project.
Cllr Murray said: “We were delighted to put forward £1,200 from our locality budget towards the defibrillator to get Fircroft Hairdressers and the community over the fundraising finish line.
"They have all done an amazing job raising the money for this life-saving piece of equipment.
"Thank you to everyone in the community for their generous contributions. It has been a pleasure to be a part of this process.”
The defibrillator was finally installed last week outside the East of England Co-Op on Fircroft Road.
The food store also picked up the initial electrical costs for the installation of the AED and undertakes the necessary weekly compliance check of the equipment.
Richard Easter, the Co-op's manager, said: “We have a lot of retired clienteles around, so we thought that it would be nice to have something like that in the precinct.
“We had donation buckets by the till as well as other shops on the parade. The response from our customers was very keen.”
The defibrillator is accessible 24 hours a day.
The funds cover the cost of the defibrillator, a locked cabinet to house the equipment, its installation as well as five-years of maintenance expenses.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here