Phone box repurposed to save lives in Sark

Tuesday 11 October 2022

A defibrillator has been installed at the top of Harbour Hill in Sark, inside a former telephone box.

The Sure Community Foundation has donated the life saving equipment and the phone box, after a request from the Cardiac Action Group, instigated by Counseiller Vaughan Bougourd.

Conseiller Bougourd said the Chief Pleas Medical and Emergency Committee had realised the need for another defibrillator.

“It fell to me to try and find out how we could get another defibrillator on the island, and I was delighted when I found out that the Sure Community Foundation could help us," he said.

"With their kind donation of this vital lifesaving equipment, the people of Sark can rest easy knowing that assistance, if needed, isn’t too far away.

“I am so grateful to organisations such as the Foundation, their funding of equipment such as this is so helpful, and I know it will bring peace of mind to many.”

Pictured: One of the many public access defibrillators installed across the Bailiwick by the Cardiac Action Group and its numerous sponsors.

The Sure Community Foundation provided both the funding for the AED, and the telephone box in which it is situated having found ways of repurposing phone boxes as their traditional use has decreased.

Lucienne De La Mare, Chair of the Sure Community Foundation, said: “We were more than happy to transform the old and unused telephone box into something beneficial to provide our sister island Sark with such important equipment. We believe in using the Sure Community Foundation to benefit the lives of our fellow islanders, and there’s no better way to do this than by donating equipment that will save lives.”

Sark already had four defibrillators across the island, but the new one at the top of Harbour Hill is a central location for both residents and visitors. 

The island also has eight community responders trained to use the equipment, with the Cardiac Action Group running regular training sessions to show members of the public how to use the AEDs.

A number of training sessions are being held this week, as part of Restart a Heart week. 

Some of the sessions are free to attend and all can be booked in advance using the details above.