Rotary club raises funds for defibrillator in Methil

The new defib has now been installed outside the entrance to Methil Library on Wellesley Road, after the Rotary Club of Buckhaven and Methil successfully raised the £1650 needed for the piece of life-saving equipment.

The defibrillator – which are used to restart the heart when someone suffers a cardiac arrest – will provide the local community with instant access to potentially life-saving equipment.

“There are defibs in the area but they are all in dental practices, GP practices, so when they close there is no external one,” said club president Christine McIntosh.

“This is the first external one. A heart attack could happen to anyone at any time, and it’s really important that we have these around the area.”

Member and former president Claire Robb added: “We have a member who had a massive heart attack a couple of years ago.

“We were originally going to give money to the heart ward at the Vic, but then we realised there were not any external defibs. We thought everyone would benefit from this.”

The club hosted a curry and comedy night, and was successful in securing £900 funding from the CLIMB project, which gave people in the area the chance to vote for projects they thought should receive public funds.

A man also took part in a skydive at Fife Airport, which raised another £500 towards the target.

The club are now raising funds towards purchasing another couple of defibs for the area.

For more information about the club, visit www.facebook.com/rotarybuckhavenmethil.