As part of a joint initiative with the British Heart Foundation (BHF), the home builder is donating potentially life-saving PADs to communities around the UK to help people who suffer from an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

During 2019, the BHF was employed by Taylor Wimpey to train its employees in CPR skills and provide every one of their building sites in the UK with a defibrillator. As part of its commitment to leaving a lasting legacy in the areas in which it builds, Taylor Wimpey is donating the defibrillators to local communities when their developments are completed.

Now that work has finished at The Fairways development the local community Dumbarton are the latest to be gifted a PAD.

Deryck Schendel, regional health and safety advisor for Taylor Wimpey in Scotland, said: “It’s so important to us that we give something back to the communities in which we’re building. Our partnership with the BHF is vitally important in helping to ensure that more defibrillators are available for people who might need them, and we are proud to be able to make this equipment readily accessible in Dumbarton.”

Lucy Martin, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, added: “We are delighted that Taylor Wimpey has contributed to the aims of the BHF by making a public access defibrillator available to the Dumbarton and Vale of Leven Community First Responders.

“A cardiac arrest is the most serious medical emergency. Every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces a person’s chance of surviving by around 10%, but calling 999, starting immediate hands-only CPR and using a defibrillator can significantly increase their chances of survival.

“During the pandemic it is essential that these steps are still taken to help save someone’s life and there are some simple measures you can take to keep yourself safe so please don’t hesitate to help someone in need. Find up to date guidance on the BHF website.”

Stewart Harris, a volunteer First Responder with Dumbarton and Vale of Leven Community First Responders, said: “We can’t thank Taylor Wimpey enough for this defibrillator. While we hope that we don’t have to use it very often, it’s fantastic to know that we can access a defibrillator in the event of an emergency and hopefully help to save someone’s life.”

A defibrillator is a portable device that can be used by anyone to help restart the heart when someone suffers from a cardiac arrest and has stopped breathing. No specific training is needed and the device will only deliver a shock to the heart if necessary.

When someone has a cardiac arrest, every second counts. For every minute that passes without defibrillation and CPR the chances of survival decrease by around 10%.