The Guernsey Cardiac Action Group (CAG) are to be presented with a cheque from the Guernsey and Alderney Freemasons for £10,000.00. The donation is to help support the work they do in our community and to give a welcome boost to their 2025 initiative to grow the PAD site network and ensure ongoing maintenance through our dedicated Guardian volunteers.
CAG is a community-driven initiative funded by charitable donations from businesses, organisations, and the public. These vital contributions directly support their vital heart health programs.
The group are committed to ensuring that high-quality, fully operational Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) sites are available across the island. These life-saving devices play a crucial role in protecting our community when sudden cardiac arrest occurs. Without them, individuals experiencing an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest face significantly lower survival chances.
Cardiac arrest is the most critical medical emergency, where every second counts. Survival rates decrease by 10% for each minute without defibrillation, making immediate action essential. Bystanders play a key role in saving lives by initiating CPR and using a defibrillator before emergency responders arrive and local Freemasons are proud to be supporting that work in the interests of our community.
Presenting the cheque was Simon Hamon Deputy head of local Freemasonry, he said;
“I’m delighted to be able to give this financial boot to such a worthy charity, having been trained for over twenty-five years in CPR and the use of defibrillators, I know the life changing difference this can make in the chain of survival”.
He added “We are all now very use to seeing these green PAD sites around Guernsey of which there are now over 150 and we even have one at our centre in St Martins!”.
In the Summer of 2023 many local masons took part in training kindly provided by Guernsey Cardiac Action Group and to find out more please check out https://guernseyfreemasons.org.uk/2023/09/19/learning-to-save-lives/
