Defibrillator Project

Maidstone Lions have launched a project that they hope will result in every school in Maidstone having at least one defibrillator. A recent survey of schools in Maidstone revealed that approximately one third do not have a defibrillator. Of those that do, one third expressed a desire to have additional defibrillators as their schools are large or have a number of buildings.

It is a sad fact that every week in the UK, 12 young people under the age of 35 die from Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS), many of these deaths take place in a school setting.

The use of a defibrillator significantly improves the chance of survival, in fact use of a defibrillator within one minute of a Cardiac Arrest improves the chance of survival by 90%, with the chances of survival decreasing by 10% with every minute that passes.

Research by the Club has revealed that there have been cases of SADS in Maidstone schools in the recent years, some of which were adults.

We are looking to raise £65,000 to fund defibrillators and training. Fortunately, some schools already have a defibrillator so our first aim is that every school has one defibrillator. We will then look to increase the number of defibrillators in schools that have a need for more.

This is the largest project that Maidstone Lions have attempted in its 53 years of raising funds and, probably the most important. Unfortunately, this is not something that the club can do on their own and we are looking for community support for the success of the project. The Club are starting the fund with an injection of £15,000 and, in addition, every penny raised at our annual street collection in Week Street, Maidstone Town Centre on 18th December will be added to the fund. We hope that people will support the project and spread the word through social media and word of mouth

Mayor of Maidstone, Councillor Fay Gooch said “This is an important new fund-raising initiative by Maidstone Lions to ensure every school in Maidstone is sufficiently equipped with defibrillators, and I warmly encourage as many people as possible to support their worthy cause”

Donations to the fund can be made to our GoFundMe page