Two popular Carmarthen sports clubs now have access to life-saving defibrillator equipment thanks to a year of charity fundraising by JCP Solicitors, which is based in the town.
A new public access defibrillator, donated to the Carmarthen & District Harriers Athletics Club, has been installed at their HQ in Carmarthen Leisure Centre, Johnstown. So, both the Harriers and Johnstown Football Club will have access to it 24/7.
The installation is the last of nine public access defibrillators that have been installed by JCP Solicitors throughout all of the Welsh towns and cities served by the law firm, after the business pledged its support to Welsh Hearts as its Charity of the Year during 2018/19.
Richard Howells, a JCP Director and head of the firm’s Carmarthen office said: “We are pleased to see this final piece of life-saving equipment sited at the Carmarthen Harriers HQ. We have a number of sportsmen and women in our office and we know how important it is that our sporting community is safe and well cared for. We are proud of our JCP colleagues for getting behind our Charity of the Year, and we have been happy to support the important work of Welsh Hearts in this long-lasting way, by donating defibrillators. The issue of heart health is a very serious one and we are pleased to have done our bit to raise awareness over the past 12 months.”
Richard Jones, Treasurer of the Carmarthen Harriers, said: “This is a lovely gesture from JCP Solicitors and we are pleased to see this defibrillator installed at our HQ, for our use, for use by Johnstown FC, and for public use. Carmarthen has a thriving athletics and sporting community and it is great to see it supported in this very practical way.”
Welsh Hearts is well known for placing more than 1,300 defibrillators in public and communal spaces – from rugby grounds and pubs, to libraries and churches – within communities across Wales, in a drive to safeguard people at risk of premature death from cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease accounts for a third of all deaths in Wales, where the death rate is higher than in the majority of countries in Western Europe. Welsh Hearts is the leading heart charity in Wales for siting defibrillators in communities and delivering CPR and defibrillator training.
