Defibrillator Saves Life at Lancashire Tennis Club

An 85-year-old man has praised his friend after surviving a cardiac arrest at Garstang Tennis Club in Lancashire. David Pearson collapsed on court in November, experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest. His friend, Andrew Lockwood, immediately initiated CPR and used a defibrillator available at the club.

Pearson expressed deep gratitude for Lockwood's willingness to act and for the club maintaining the defibrillator. He also commended the ambulance service for their remote guidance during the emergency. Lockwood described the defibrillator as easy to use, with clear instructions guiding him through the process.

This incident underscores a broader issue: North West Ambulance Service reports over 11,000 publicly accessible defibrillators, yet nearly 3,000 are offline. The primary reason cited is a lack of ongoing maintenance, with machines costing up to £1,300 to repair or replace.

NWAS is now backing a campaign to reactivate these offline defibrillators. They emphasize the importance of regular checks and reporting to the national defibrillator network portal to ensure machines are registered and functional for emergency 999 calls.