South Western Railway has given a lifesaving defibrillator to Berrywood Primary School, which is located at Hedge End near Southampton.

The machine was presented to the school at a presentation held at Hedge End railway station which is very close to the school, on Monday the 19th of June.

The presentation saw Works Delivery Manager for South Western Railway Stephen Clark, and Regional Development Manager Phil Dominey attend alongside Bradley Scott of Integral UK Ltd who are delivering the rail operator’s rollout of defibrillators across the rail operators network and Berrywood Primary School’s Community Opportunity Coordinator, Lisa Ainsworth.

The rail operator has been able to donate the machine thanks to its rollout of publicly accessible defibrillators over its 154 staffed stations.

The lifesaving devices can be used around the clock by colleagues, customers and the local community.

Hedge End station has seen its defibrillator replaced with a newer version as part of the rollout, allowing the original machine to be donated to the school in a bid to support the local community further.

The new lifesaving defibrillator features can be monitored remotely, which supports its ongoing maintenance, making sure that it is ready to use when needed.

Sheree Whetren, who is an Occupational Health and Wellbeing Technician for South Western Railway, and is also a station adopter for Hedge End, also attended the event. Sheree had previously carried out fundraising in order to get the original lifesaving defibrillator installed at the station.

Claire Mann, Managing Director of South Western Railway, said: “Sudden arrhythmic death syndrome and other heart conditions can impact us all. I’m so pleased that we are making good progress on installing defibrillators at our staffed stations, and we have also been able to donate this machine to a local school, showing our commitment to the communities we serve.”

Paul Holmes, Member of Parliament for Eastleigh, said: “I’m delighted to see SWR donate a defibrillator to Berrywood Primary School in Hedge End, and to see their rollout of defibrillators at all their staffed stations continue at pace.

“These machines will be a valuable asset for local communities and could very well prove to be lifesaving, and I thank SWR for this investment.”

Chris Reilly, Headteacher of Berrywood Primary School, said: “Our huge thanks go to SWR for donating to Berrywood a defibrillator machine. This fantastic lifesaving equipment will now be installed at school, and although we hope never to put it to use, it is reassuring to know it will be there in the event of an emergency. This is a fantastic example of community organisations working in partnership.”

“Once again, thank you all concerned for making it happen!”

Bradley Scott, Projects Manager for Integral UK Ltd, said:

“It’s a privilege to work with SWR on a potentially lifesaving scheme such as this. Initiatives like this are so important, not just for the colleagues and customers, but also the local public, and I’m proud to be a part of that.”

South Western Railway’s rollout of defibrillators was revealed at a train naming event held at London Waterloo Station earlier this year.

The train was dedicated to the Alex Wardle Foundation, which is a charity which aims to raise awareness of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS), which is when somebody dies suddenly from cardiac arrest and often affects young, seemingly healthy people.

The Alex Wardle Foundation was established in memory of medical student, Alex Wardle, who was the son of a South Western Railway operations trainer, sadly passed away from Sads in 2016.