TWO bowling clubs in Launceston now have life saving equipment on hand, should the worst happen.

Both Kensey Vale and Dunheved bowling clubs have purchased defibrillators from the Ronnie Richards Memorial Charity.

Recently, the charity’s co-founder and secretary Paul Williams, along with his wife Liz, visited both clubs to formally hand over the defibrillators.

Bowlers then had free training sessions with Paul to learn how the defibrillators work.

The non-profit Penzance-based charity was established in memory of Liz’s very close brother and Paul’s good friend and brother-in-law, Ronnie Richards. Ronnie was a well-respected and affable character, a fit and healthy man, who sadly collapsed and died from sudden cardiac arrest while playing his beloved game of football at Penzance Leisure Centre.

Paul said: “The charity is comprised of dedicated unpaid volunteers who have secured greatly reduced prices for top quality AED equipment in delivery of fantastic CPR and AED training conditions.

“Sudden Cardiac arrest (SCA) in claiming one life every five minutes in the UK happens suddenly and unexpectedly when the electrical activity of the heart becomes so chaotic that the heart stops pumping and quivers or ‘fibrillates’ instead.

The only definitive treatment for Sudden Cardiac Arrest is effective CPR, delivered on the ratio of 30 chest compressions to two rescue breaths and defibrillation of the heart from a shock delivered by an AED.

“If treatment is delivered within three to five minutes of the victim collapsing, their survival chance significantly increases from 6% to 74%. However, if treatment is delayed, for every minute that treatment is not delivered, the casualty’s survival chance decreases 10%. The ambulance service do an amazing job but cannot deliver the impossible. We need to help them to help us.

“The RRMC closely linked public access defibrillator (PAD) infrastructure of rapidly increasing nearly 230 PADs and around 13,000 people CPR and AED trained in Cornwall, including the first 3,000 secndary school students in the UK, is proving very successful in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest saves.

“Being a Penzance based charity our PADs are predominantly in West Cornwall where widespread media attention has been given. We are increasingly covering North Cornwall and Devon has people become aware of us.

“It was pleasure for the RRMC to PAD equip both Kensey Vale and Dunheved Bowling Clubs in Launceston and provide them with CPR training and AED tuition same day with a strong turn out from both clubs.

“Kensey Vale and Dunheved Bowling Clubs are internal PADs and accessible to the public at variable times when the clubs are open. This information is registered by us with the South Western Western Ambulance Service Trust (SWAST) who have all our PADs on their operations. They will assist throughout in a 999 call.

“The RRMC website www.rrmch.org.uk is under major rebuild that complete will provide comprehensive information. There is a PAD FINDER map and a devised free download PAD FINDER mobile app on there of all our sites.”

On June 29 the charity celebrated its 200th sited public access defibrillator (PAD) in Cornwall, at Humphry Davy School, Penzance.

The charity’s defibrillators once saved three lives in one week, including an eight-year-old girl in St Ives.

Kensey Vale Bowling Club was able to purchase its defibrillator from the charity thanks to Rotary Club funding.

Nicola Gilbert said: “We felt that we needed one in our club because we get a lot of people coming in and out from different clubs, and outsiders — we have functions down there — and a junior section as well. We felt it’s such a good idea.

“Hopefully it will not have to be used but we have got it there if needed.”

Peter Prynne of Dunheved Bowling Club, who is Cornwall Bowls’ county president, said: “We lost a member very dear to us and it was felt we should get a defibrillator in the club. We have got heart funding towards it, and one of our members stood in and made up the rest.”

He added of their training: “When the defibrillator was put on it was amazing, a really amazing bit of kit.”

For more information, contact RRMC secretary Paul Williams by emailing [email protected] or telephoning 01736 360864.

Greatly appreciated donations can be made at www.rrmch.ord.uk