Barratt Homes East Scotland adds 17 defibrillators to nationwide appeal
The house builder is donating 400 defibrillators worth £300,000 from its sites across the UK to help the fight against Covid-19.
The defibrillators are being handed over to St Andrew’s First Aid in Scotland and St John Ambulance in England.
Barratt Homes East Scotland has given 17 defibrillators from its divisional head office and construction sites to St Andrew’s First Aid, Scotland’s only dedicated first aid charity. They hope that the life saving equipment will support their volunteers who are on standby to aid the NHS and ambulance service if called upon.
The donations from Barratt are part of a nationwide appeal – called Take the Strain – to source desperately needed equipment, including 1,000 defibrillators, to help the charities in the vital role they may have to play.
Responding to the call for help, the country’s biggest house builder has committed to donating the defibrillators from all its sites. Teams from Barratt are urgently gathering up the defibrillators from their sites across the country so they can deliver them to where they are needed in the next few days.
As part of its response to support the fight against coronavirus, Barratt Developments has also donated £100,000 to the NHS Charities Together appeal. This supports 250 NHS charities across the UK collectively, giving money every day to the NHS so that people can stay well for longer and get better faster. The appeal also plays a key role in mobilising volunteers to support NHS staff and support mental health, community health and ambulance trusts.
These moves follow a donation of personal protective items last week by the housebuilder. This included thousands of high-quality FFP3 face masks, gloves and hand sanitiser, to local NHS hospitals and social care services across the country.
Barratt Homes Scotland donated over 2,300 items of protective equipment to frontline workers, with the East division contributing 200 items.
Alison Condie, Managing Director for Barratt Homes East Scotland, said: “St Andrew’s First Aid is on the frontline supporting the NHS and helping save lives. We are pleased to be able to donate this equipment where it is urgently needed. Community and collective efforts are vital during these unprecedented times so we want to play our part in the fight against COVID-19.”
Stuart Callison, chief executive of St Andrew’s First Aid said: “We thank Barratt Homes Scotland for its donation of these defibrillators which will enhance our own current equipment. When we are called upon for support out in communities, they will be an invaluable additional asset.”
Barratt Developments temporarily closed all of its offices and construction sites two weeks ago to protect customers, employees and the public.
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