Birch Presents Life-Saving Defibrillators

The life-saving equipment, purchased with funds raised by the LCFC Foxes Foundation, was handed over to each school in the stadium’s Premier Lounge, swiftly followed by a Heartsafe training session hosted by Dr. William Toff, Senior Lecturer in Cardiology at the University of Leicester and Co-Director of the Leicestershire Heartsafe Schools Programme.
The presentation follows a half-time demonstration during the Barclays Premier League fixture between Leicester City and Burnley at King Power Stadium on Saturday 4 October.
Fans at Welford Road for Leicester Tigers’ tie with Harlequins the following week were also shown how to operate the equipment.
This meant that over 50,000 people were provided with the knowledge and confidence to save lives, should they need to operate an automated external defibrillator.
“It’s a fantastic donation by the LCFC Foxes Foundation, who have continued their excellent charity work this season,” Birch told LCFC.com.
“Let’s not forget the importance of defibrillators. They can save lives, and now, 20 schools across the county will be equipped with one, should the situation of them needing to use one ever arise.
“Dr. William Toff also provided a demonstration of the equipment, so that those representing the schools in attendance will be able to hopefully educate others on how to use it.”
Dr. Toff added: “We are proud to have the Leicester City Football Club as a community partner and we are extremely grateful for the generous donation from the Foxes Foundation that has funded the purchase of an AED and training equipment for each of 20 secondary schools in Leicestershire.
“The Leicestershire Heartsafe Schools Programme is a remarkable collaboration, bringing together volunteers from the healthcare sector, the leadership teams of the city and county schools, the East Midlands Ambulance Service and local and national charities, including the East Midlands Pacemaker Fund, the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust and the British Heart Foundation.”