Sir Gavin Williamson celebrated the success of AED Donate as they were presented with the Kings Award for Voluntary Service.
Sir Gavin had previously met with the founder of AED Donate, Jamie Richards, in October last year. The charity is based in Stone, Staffordshire. The charity works with local communities to help them fundraise and purchase defibrillators, then supports them in setting them up. Sir Gavin was impressed with what Jamie and his team have managed to achieve, as they’ve increased the average availability of defibrillators from 67% to 97.9%.
Sir Gavin was happy to support the charity in its application for the Kings Award for Voluntary Service, which he was proud to see them receive. This is the highest award given to volunteer groups across the UK. Alongside this success, AED Donate have also recently celebrated 10 years of life saving work with communities across the nation. AED Donate not only provide support in setting up defibrillators. They also provide support via a 24/7 on-call line, perform defibrillator site visits, and attend events to raise awareness about Sudden Cardiac Arrests. They have done great work to push for more preventative action to be taken against cardiac arrests.
Sir Gavin said: “I was really pleased to see the team at AED Donate receive recognition for the incredible work that they do. AED Defibrillators save lives throughout the UK, and I’m sure everyone in Staffordshire is really proud that this amazing charity was born right here at home. Jamie and his team are dedicated to preventing needless deaths from cardiac arrests, and have made a truly positive impact. 3,600 heart attacks in the West Midlands a year occur outside of hospitals, so it is vital that communities have the resources they need in case of emergencies.”
