Bucks back Muamba campaign

Buxton are the latest Evo-Stik Northern Premier League outfit to back a league wide campaign promoting life-saving defribrillators launched in the wake of Premier League star Fabrice Muamba’s collapse and near death.

Farsley and Chasetown purchased the life-saving equipment at the start of the season and Warrington Town are currently leading fundraising efforts by other Evo-Stik NPL clubs after Muamba's heart stopped at Tottenham in March while he was playing for Bolton. His subsequent recovery highligted the critical role defribrillators can play in saving lives, prompting the Evo-Stik NPL to encourage clubs to introduce the life-saving equipment.

The Bucks were presented with their defibrillator by donors from the Westfield Heath Trust after they asked if the medial charity could help. Buxton Director David Hopkins applied to the charity who are now training the club’s staff to use the devices and are also delivering additional oxygen equipment.

Hopkins is pictured right alongside David Whitney from Westfield Health and Buxton physio Kay Morgan. The director revealed that the Bucks were already considering purchasing a defribrillator before the Muamba incident after the deaths of a Mickleover supporter in a car park last season when they were playing there and local Derbyshire player Ben Obiora. He died playing in the local Hope Valley Amateur League despite an Air Ambulance rushing to his aid.

Hopkins, who runs the club's main sponsors Markovitz Limited, the builders' and plumbers' merchants, said: "The club’s directors have long been aware of the need for the equipment and events of the past few months have emphasised the point for us. They are not full proof but all the evidence points to fact that they give people a fighting chance and we wanted take an important step forward in player and spectator safety."

The director, who also revealed that the club was now also planning to start having their Under 19s undergo hearts screening tests, added: "God willing we’ll never have to use it but it is there now and with the training we’re organising we’ll be able use the defribrillator throughout the club up to the first team."