Crombies of Edinburgh has unveiled a life-saving device which could save someone’s life in the event of cardiac arrest.
The butcher, on Broughton Street, is the first in Edinburgh to install a defib as part of the ‘Butchers at the Heart of the Community’ campaign which has already seen 40 butchers across Scotland raise funds to provide a defibrillator outside their shop.
The devices work by giving an electric shock to restart the heart of a person who is in cardiac arrest.
With around 70 people having a cardiac arrest each week in Scotland, and around 350 happening each year in the area within Edinburgh bypass, it’s something that can affect people of all ages, at any time.
Starting CPR, and using a defibrillator within the first few minutes of survival, can increase the chances of survival to as high as 75%.
The defibrillator has been installed outside the Crombies shop, and is able to be used 24/7 in an emergency. The easy-to-use unit reads aloud instructions if deployed in an emergency, meaning it can be used by both staff and members of the public.
The Crombies defib has been installed as part of St John Scotland’s ‘St John and the City’ project, which earlier this month celebrated installing more than 120 defibrillators across Edinburgh.
Sandy Crombie, owner of Crombies of Edinburgh, said: “We were delighted to have taken part in Scottish Craft Butchers’ fundraising initiative to put a defibrillator at the heart of communities up and down Scotland. The automatic defibrillator is now in place, accessible to the public 24 hours a day, and could help save a life in the event of a cardiac arrest. St John Scotland have also trained our staff in how to do CPR should we ever need to.”
Crombies raised more than £1,300 to fund the defibrillator thanks to donations from staff, customers and local traders. Sandy Crombie thanked all those who contributed, saying: “We are extremely grateful for the support given to this project over these past months from everyone in the local community.”
St John Scotland volunteer Lynn Cleal, who runs the St John and the City project on behalf of the charity, said: “Sandy and the team at Crombies have done an amazing job of raising money to provide this defib for the benefit of the whole community. We’re delighted they are the latest venue to host a defibrillator as part of St John and the City – their contribution is helping make Edinburgh a city of lifesavers.”
Pamela Hunter owns Hunters of Kinross butchers and started the campaign to encourage other butchers to fundraise for defibrillators, after a customer sadly suffered a fatal cardiac arrest at the shop. She said: “I’m absolutely thrilled that Crombies of Edinburgh have installed their defibrillator which will be available to their whole community and visitors to their area. Sandy’s customers and local businesses know how important this piece of kit is and how it could save a life. And with their staff being trained in CPR by St John Scotland it is really helping raise awareness and resilience in our communities.”
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