Eastbourne’s Beachy Head charity receives ‘life-saving kit’ from parish council

The Beachy Head Chaplaincy Team does invaluable work by rescuing 500-600 people annually from the cliff edge. It also helps around 2,000 people every year who are lost or require help in the area.

The defibrillator provides a controlled electric shock to restart a heart that has gone into cardiac arrest. A defibrillator was used to revive footballer Christian Eriksen in the recent Euro 2020 game.

This particular defibrillator was previously one of a set owned by East Dean’s team of volunteer first responders. The team was disbanded in 2019 due to the retirement of most of the volunteers, and the defibrillators were passed on to the council.

Two of the former responders, Flora Richards and Lys Page, presented the equipment to the charity.

In a statement from the council, it said it refurbished the ‘life-saving kit’ and three have been installed in accessible areas around the village.

Mike Keller, chair of the parish council, said, “The Beachy Head Chaplaincy Team seemed an obvious choice to receive one of these defibrillators.

“With their patrols along the Beachy Head and Birling Gap Roads, they are in the best position to be first on the scene in a situation where seconds can mean the difference between life and death.”

A spokesperson for the chaplaincy team said, “This is a really vital piece of life-saving equipment to have – although we hope we never need to use it!”