Quakers offer heart-felt thanks

Quaker fans say they were delighted to hand over cash left over from last season’s fundraising efforts to buy the Evo-Stik Northern Premier club a life-saving defibrillator.

The Darlington Supporters Trust sponsored David Dowson's home shirt and Amar Purewal's away shirt last season and after raffling them off at the end of their promotion-winning campaign, have used part of the proceeds to purchase a ‘defib’ with the help of the Football Association and British Heart Foundation.

Thanks to a unique partnership between the FA and BHA, nearly half of the league's clubs have already purchased the life-saving equipment since the launch of a £1.2m Defibrillator Fund in March to underwrite two thirds of the cost and provide the training needed to save lives.

Awareness around sudden cardiac arrests was heightened when former England Under-21 star Fabrice Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest in the Tottenham Hotspur versus Bolton Wanderers FA Cup tie on March 17 last year. Instead of paying around £1000 for a defibrillator, the First Division North club, like the 900 others at Steps 1-6 who were eligible, paid just £318, knocking two thirds off the price.

Quakers manager Martin Gray and Neil Raper from the Supporters Trust collected the defibrillator from the FA. The pair and other members the Trust are pictured presenting the ‘defib’ to Dave Mills, Darlington’s community and fans liaison manager.

The Trust said: "We are delighted to take advantage of the fantastic offer by the FA and British Heart Foundation to provide a potentially life-saving piece of kit to football clubs at an affordable price. Whilst we hope there is no cause for the defibrillator ever to be called into action, it’s reassuring to know that it will be at hand for the safety of our players and fans, home and away.

"We are grateful for the generosity of everyone that bought tickets for our raffle of David Dowson’s and Amar Purewal’s shirts at the end of last season, the proceeds from which has enabled us to purchase the defibrillator and to sponsor David Dowson’s and Amar Purewal’s shirts again this season."

A club spokesman thanked the fans for their efforts and said: "Darlington Football Club would like to thank the Supporters Trust for their help and support in enabling the club to have its own defibrillator. It is an essential part of physio Steve Wood’s match day equipment at home and away matches."

A defibrillator, also known as an Automated External Defibrillator or AED, gives the heart a controlled electrical shock during cardiac arrest. For every minute that passes without defibrillation, doctors say chances of survival decrease by about 10 per cent.

Research shows that giving a controlled shock within five minutes of collapse provides the best possible chance of survival if CPR has been carried out as well. The British Heart Foundation has already helped place 11,000 defibrillators in the community since 1996.

Before the start of last season, the Evo-Stik NPL launched its own initiative to encourage clubs to purchase defibrillators and, along with other leagues in the Pyramid and Football Alliance, successfully lobbied the FA for action.

Evo-Stik NPL clubs who’ve taken part now include: Bamber Bridge, Belper Town, Burscough, Cammell Laird, Chorley, Clitheroe, Coalville Town, Curzon Ashton, Darlington, FC United of Manchester, Grantham Town, Gresley FC, Halesowen, Harrogate Railway Athletic, Kendal Town, Kidsgrove Athletic, King’s Lynn Town, Lancaster City, Leek Town, Marine, Matlock Town, Mossley, Nantwich Town, Ossett Albion, Ossett Town, Radcliffe Borough, Rainworth MW, Ramsbottom Utd, Rushall Olympic, Salford City, Skelmersdale United, Stamford AFC, Sutton Coldfield Town, Warrington Town, Witton Albion and Worksop Town.

To view the BHA's latest training video visit the British Heart Foundation's website. For more information visit: www.bhf.org.uk/football