A social housing provider has granted funding to help a local Parish Council purchase and install two new local, life-saving defibrillators.

Platform Housing Group’s – one of the largest housing associations in the UK – awarded Community Chest Funding to Broughton Astley Parish Council in Leicester, to help ensure that people in their parish have access to this vital, potentially life-saving equipment.

Marion Duffy, Platform Housing Group’s Chief Operations Officer said “Our Community Chest Fund was set up to directly support customers in our local communities, so it’s great to have been able to help Broughton Astley Parish Council provide these defibrillators, particularly as research shows that accessing these devices within 3-5 minutes of a cardiac arrest increases the chance of survival by over 40%.

“It’s also lovely to hear that an old telephone box has been repurposed to provide a home for one of the defibrillators, which is a really innovative way to recycle something no longer used.”

Platform customers and local charities, clubs and other not-for-profit organisations can apply for Community Chest Funding if their work or project directly benefits local Platform customers.  All applications are assessed against specific eligibility criteria by customers who sit on their Customer Experience Panel.

“We are delighted that the two new defibrillators have now been installed in a decommissioned telephone kiosk on Coventry Road and at Frolesworth Road Recreation Ground. Both are now working fully and registered with the ambulance service, said Anita Percy, Grants Administrator from Broughton Astley Parish Council.

“The funding provided by Platform Housing Group, along with the other kind donations, has made the provision and installation of these vitally important defibrillators, for the local people of Broughton Astley, possible.”

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