A life-saving defibrillator has been installed outside the Corstorphine premises of Edinburgh company, Mimi’s Bakehouse.
The defibrillator at Mimi’s Bakehouse in Corstorphine was donated by St John Scotland as part of their Community Defibrillator Project with funds raised by Mike Pinkerton and Paul Burns, whose lives were both saved by defibrillators.
Founded in 1947, St John Scotland is a charity dedicated to saving lives in communities across Scotland. Whether providing CPR training, increasing public access to defibrillators, being Community First Responders or transporting patients to hospitals, St John Scotland is there when it matters most.
The second-generation family business is committed to supporting local businesses in Edinburgh and partnered with St John Scotland, Modern Electrical Solutions and The Electric Centre Edinburgh, who kindly donated services and equipment to complete the installation.
Launched in 2017, the project has resulted in more than 300 defibrillators now placed in Edinburgh and the surrounding area, including Edinburgh Castle and one on each of the city’s trams. All St John defibrillators are registered on The Circuit, so that 999 call handlers can direct anyone responding to a cardiac arrest to their nearest accessible defibrillator.
A defibrillator can be used if someone suffers a cardiac arrest, where the heart stops suddenly, and works by delivering an electric shock to kick start it back into normal rhythm. Every week, around 70 people in Scotland have a cardiac arrest. For every minute without treatment, their chances of survival are reduced by 10 percent, so performing CPR and using a defibrillator within the first few minutes can make the difference between life and death. They can be used by anyone with no training required.
The Rt Hon Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, Robert Aldridge, said: “This is a fantastic initiative and I’m proud that another of Edinburgh’s businesses is championing such a worthy cause as St John Scotland’s Community Defibrillator Project. On behalf of the people of Edinburgh, I’d like to sincerely thank St John Scotland, Mimi’s Bakehouse and, of course, the fundraising efforts of Paul and Mike. Since 2017, Paul and Mike have raised over £27,000 providing 22 defibrillators across the city which is a brilliant achievement. More defibrillators in our communities means more potential lives being saved and that is something to be commended.”
Mike Pinkerton, who suffered a cardiac arrest eight years ago while visiting Oak Tree Vets, not far from Mimi’s, has since raised £13,000 for the St John project.
He said: “Had it not been for the quick actions of the vet, who performed CPR, and the paramedics who shocked me back to life with a defibrillator, I wouldn’t be here today to tell the story. Since then, I’ve been on a fund-raising mission to install live-saving defibrillators in public places across Edinburgh, giving people unfortunate enough to suffer a cardiac arrest the best possible chance of survival.
“I’m hugely grateful to the team at Mimi’s Bakehouse for hosting and looking after this defibrillator and look forward to getting back on my bike and raising funds for many more.”
Paul Burns, from Clermiston, who suffered a cardiac arrest while playing football at the Hibernian training ground in Ormiston said: “Like Mike, I have raised £13,140 through my own campaign. I had never done any charity work before and I feel good that I can raise funds and put something back in so that there’s a chance that one of our defibrillators is going to save someone’s life. I am well aware of how lucky I am to be here. It’s not just about raising funds, it’s also about raising awareness.”
Ashley Philips, Chief of Operations of Mimi’s Bakehouse, said: “Here at Mimi’s Bakehouse we are so happy to be supporting the initiative to get defibrillators publicly accessible for many people to use. Meeting Mike, Paul and the team at St John has confirmed what an incredible job they do. Many thanks again to Modern Electrical Solutions and Electric Centre Edinburgh for providing a free service to install the unit on the wall outside our café.”
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