Bedfordshire Neville Special Projects Invests in Defibrillator for Local Community

One of Bedfordshire’s longest established family-owned group of businesses, Neville Trust, which includes Neville Special Projects and Neville Joinery, has successfully installed and registered its first publicly available automated external defibrillator (AED), at its premises on Marsh Road, Luton. 

The AED, which has been registered and mapped by The National Defibrillator Network (The Circuit) making it available for emergency services, is positioned on a street-facing outside wall and is available 24/7 for staff and members of the public. 

According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, if defibrillation can be initiated within three to five minutes of a sudden cardiac arrest, survival rates up to 70 per cent can be achieved. However, only 50 per cent of installed AEDs are registered with The Circuit, meaning 999 call handlers can’t efficiently direct bystanders to their nearest defibrillator.  

Vicky Trumper, Director at Neville Trust, commented: “The British Heart Foundation estimates that only eight per cent of people survive sudden cardiac arrests outside of hospital and, sadly, there weren’t any known defibrillators locally available to the staff and visitors at our biggest office in Marsh Road. 

“Being so close to a mainline station, local businesses and the park, our offices have a lot of passing footfall. For the safety of our construction staff and the wider community, we really felt this was something that needed addressing, not just by installing an AED, but making sure it was registered within The Circuit.  

“The device has been registered at Neville Trust premises on Marsh Road following a £1,750 company investment. It is now fully operational and connected to the East of England Ambulance Service, should anyone need urgent resuscitation. The device is easy to use and contains an illustrated step-by-step guide to aid bystanders assisting a casualty. What’s more, we have a number of First Aiders on site most of the time, who are trained in basic life support and CPR should you require help. Finally, it is our intention to additionally train several of our staff specifically on defibrillator use,” Vicky added.  Installation of the defibrillator is the latest in a series of local community or charity-led investments from Neville Trust, which follows the announcement of financial support for NOAH Enterprise, Neville’s Charity of the Year. The company also took part in several Mental Health First Aid courses, run by MHFA, to train, qualify and equip 14 members of staff with the skills to support those in need of mental health guidance.