By Mal Butler
A Shanklin businessman, who suffered a near-fatal heart attack and two cardiac arrests four years ago, has installed a defibrillator outside his building – with a little nudge from the IW Observer.
Vernon Cottage Restaurant owner, Paul de Vere, and his wife, Susan, have just installed the life-saving, public access defibrillator outside their business in the heart of Old Shanklin.
Paul said: “Never a day goes by when we don’t remember how lucky I was, and how grateful I am, to the NHS team who saved my life.
“But the trigger to take action and give back something came after reading the IW Observer’s feature spread on IOW Defibrillators a few weeks ago. We contacted the charity’s founder, Steve Read, and, within hours, we were agreeing the best location with the highest visibility for our new defibrillator box.”
Steve Read said: “The new installation at Vernon Cottage is another step towards saving more lives. Public access, 24/7 for 365 days a year, is the best accessibility we can hope for and widespread awareness of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillators are key to saving more lives.”
To highlight the charity and the latest installation, Paul, who hand-makes the Vernon Cottage signature ‘Isle of Wight Shaped Scones’, changed half his bake to ‘heart-shaped scones’ on Monday to celebrate the arrival of the new defibrillator. He added: “The Island is already heart-shaped and a heart-shaped scone welcomes our new arrival with the fanfare it deserves. They might also make people think and encourage them to learn more about CPR and life-saving defibrillators.”
Isle of Wight Observer