Life-saving kit for borough business park

The Moss Industrial Estate has teamed up with one of its tenants, Jacobi Carbons, to fund a defibrillator for use in emergencies.

The equipment is located in Croft Court at the Leigh business hub. If there is a cardiac arrest at the site, a call to 999 will generate a unique code which gives someone access to the defibrillator.

The kit then guides its user through how to operate it. Alternatively the emergency services operator will talk anyone using a defibrillator through what they have to do.

Mark Downs, global laboratory manager at Jacobi Carbons, who led the project, said: “We have had employees with heart conditions and there have been a couple of instances when we have had to call an ambulance on site so this is a really important piece of kit.

“While we hope we will never have to use it, it’s wonderful to think we have it there just in case and that it could help to save someone’s life.”

Sebastian Moss, managing director at George Moss & Sons, said: “There are over 100 businesses based at the industrial estate and thousands of people work here and visit the site every single day so we felt it was really important that we can provide a defibrillator that is fully accessible to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“It’ll even be accessible day and night to people living in the local community so we want to make sure that our neighbours in Lowton and Leigh are aware it is here, ready for use whenever it is needed.”

Defibrillators are being installed in many public buildings and places now, as their life-saving potential is realised.

And the means of raising money for them are many too. In Aspull earlier this year the proceeds of a local history book, completed by a village community group 18 years after author Eva Barker died, was used to pay for a device.

A number of defibs in the borough have been used to save lives in recent years, including several at local sports centres.