‘Official Opening’ of the defibrillator at The Parade, Pelton

The project has been jointly funded by Urpeth Parish Council and Pelton Parish Council, demonstrating how local councils can work in partnership to provide potentially life-saving equipment for the benefit of residents.

The ribbon was cut by five-year-old Henryk, who recently attended a defibrillator awareness seminar delivered by Community Heartbeat Trust (CHT). Henryk and his father took part in the session, where Henryk impressed attendees by helping with a demonstration that involved “saving” Cllr Gerry Walker.

Councillor Danny Wood who is also Chair of Pelton Parish Council, welcomed guests to the event and invited Henryk to perform the official ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Following the seminar, Community Heartbeat Trust and both parish councils were highly impressed by Henryk’s enthusiasm for learning life-saving skills. In recognition of his interest, Henryk was presented with a copy of What If I Needed First Aid Skills?, a book aimed at young people, by the Chair of Urpeth Parish Council, Councillor Bill Scott.

When asked why he wanted to attend the seminar, Henryk said that while he hoped the defibrillator would never need to be used, “never say never”, and that he wanted to learn how it works.

A huge thank you to Henryk and his family for attending the official opening and helping to mark this important community investment.