Axe Valley Runners mentioned in parliament for efforts to highlight defibrillators

The Axe Valley Runners have been praised in parliament after a recent club event to raise awareness of the location of local defibrillators.

The running club members recently took part in a 'Defib Dash', running around Seaton and surrounding areas to the locations of local defibrillators and having their photo taken at each spot.

Speaking in a Westminster debate on the importance of public access to defibrillators, Tiverton & Honiton MP Richard Foord highlighted the importance of ensuring both the public and emergency services know the location of where defibrillators are locally.

He praised the work of Axe Valley Runners Heather Simmons, Claire Warner, and Sarah and Ronnie Whelan for helping organise the local event, which saw a group of more than 70 people cover a range of communities including Seaton, Beer, and Axmouth.

Liberal Democrat Mr Foord also recalled his recent training on how to properly use a defibrillator with the Devon Air Ambulance at Sidmouth Rugby Club, and called for more action by the Government to support the availability of this training.

Commenting after the debate, he said: "At some point in our lives, we are likely to experience someone having a cardiac incident. In these cases, acting quickly is key.

"Knowing where your local defibrillator is and being able to use it can save someone's life. This is particularly true in rural areas like ours, where it can take far longer for help to arrive.

"It's one of those useful skills that sadly so few people get taught – it was only a few months ago I got this training thanks to Devon Air Ambulance.

"That's why it's so good to see the Axe Valley Runners running a positive fundraising event and I want to congratulate them for helping to raise awareness of defibrillators in our part of Devon.

"This is an area where we need to see real leadership from the government to ensure that emergency services and local people know where their closest defibrillator is, and how to use it properly.

"It's time to 'complete the circuit'; to register a complete network of defibrillators across our towns and villages."