Home / Health / Phone Box Saves Lives with New Defibrillator
Phone Box Saves Lives with New Defibrillator
2 Jun
Summary
- A historic red phone box in Guildford town centre now houses a defibrillator.
- Businessman Matt Gaskin purchased the phone box for £8,000 to preserve heritage.
- The defibrillator and bleed control kit are accessible 24/7 via 999 call handlers.
A Grade II listed red phone box in Guildford town centre has been repurposed to house life-saving equipment, thanks to a local businessman. Matt Gaskin purchased the historic structure for £8,000 at auction, a project that ultimately cost him around £20,000. The phone box now contains a defibrillator and a bleed control kit, both available for public use 24 hours a day.
Access to the emergency equipment is managed through 999 call handlers, who provide the necessary code and instructions when needed. Gaskin was inspired to create this resource for the "end of the town centre" after a friend experienced a heart attack, highlighting the delay in accessing such kits.
His son contributed over 160 hours of labour to restore the box, which was completely stripped out. Further emergency supplies, including a trauma kit and burns kit, are expected to be added in the coming months. Gaskin's initiative aims to provide a practical and accessible resource for critical emergency situations in Guildford.
