Jedburgh folk invited to learn simple life-saving skills at an open day later this month

Campaigners have invited townsfolk in Jedburgh to join their life-saving crusade.
Paramedics Christine Graham, Lynn Dixon, Ali Graham and Jedburgh Fire Station crew commander Calum Brown. (Photo: BILL McBURNIE)Paramedics Christine Graham, Lynn Dixon, Ali Graham and Jedburgh Fire Station crew commander Calum Brown. (Photo: BILL McBURNIE)
Paramedics Christine Graham, Lynn Dixon, Ali Graham and Jedburgh Fire Station crew commander Calum Brown. (Photo: BILL McBURNIE)

Jed Hearts Here was set up a couple of years ago to raise funds to purchase defibrillators to distribute around the town, which does not have an ambulance station.

The drive initially stalled due to the Covid pandemic but the campaign is once again starting to build up speed.

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Paramedic Lynn Dixon, a member of the ambulance service for 32 years, is the chairperson for Jed Hearts Here.

Paramedic Lynn Dixon and Jedburgh Fire Station crew commander Calum Brown. (Photo: BILL McBURNIE)Paramedic Lynn Dixon and Jedburgh Fire Station crew commander Calum Brown. (Photo: BILL McBURNIE)
Paramedic Lynn Dixon and Jedburgh Fire Station crew commander Calum Brown. (Photo: BILL McBURNIE)

The group has so far purchased 11 defibrillators and 10 accompanying cabinets, at the cost of just under £1,300 each.

Three have already been installed – at Greenside vets, at Jedburgh Woollen Mills and the ex-Callants and Heralds association at Canongate has bought two.

There’s also one at the Freemasons Lodge of St John’s at Castlegate.

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Lynn said: “Once we got off the ground Covid struck and that put the kibosh on that until we got started again.

"The community has got right behind us and various places have donated money and local man Nick Burrell, who used to live in Jedburgh and has a successful business, donated money for the first three and we’ve had money from the community council, from the Common Good Fund, money from various places, which is fantastic.

"It’s just to ensure that if anything happens to any member of the Jedburgh community that they have the best chance of surviving, because obviously the way things are going with the pandemic there’s not always an ambulance just around the corner anymore.”

Group members are also passionate about training and an event is to be staged on Saturday, October 16, at Jedburgh Community Fire Station.

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Lynn added: “It’s an open day from 10am to 2pm and it’s basically just a come and try to have a little go at CPR and see how the defibs work and see how simple they are.

"They really are foolproof. As soon as you open the defib app it tells you exactly what to do. It speaks to you and tells you where to put the pads and if that patient is in a rhythm that is shockable it will do it for you.

"It’s a chance to give the Jedburgh public a try so that if the worst thing happened they wouldn’t be afraid of using them.”

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