A new life-saving defibrillator has been installed at Stubbs Walden North level crossing near Selby with the help of Network Rail, the local community and others.

The defibrillator was installed in the village of Walden Stubbs near Selby following a request from the local community.

The railway line is mainly used by freight services going to the nearby power station at Drax.

The village raised over £600 for the equipment and both Drax and freight operator DB Cargo donated £500 each. The design of the installation was done free of charge by AGH Engineering and North Yorkshire County Councillor John McCartney has put £1000 from his budget towards ongoing maintenance.

Network Rail installed a walkway, fencing and handrails along with connecting the defibrillator to the power supply.

Dawn Sweeting, Community Safety Manager for Network Rail, said: “We’re always happy to work with the community and we’re glad that we’ve enabled this life saving equipment to be installed.”

“We’ve seen a real sense of community spirit here and we’ve worked with other rail industry partners and local businesses to bring this project to fruition. We hope the defibrillator never has to be used, but it’s good that it’s available if needed.”

Nina Jackson, the resident who approached Network Rail to install the lifesaving equipment, said: “I would like to thank Network Rail, Drax and DB Cargo for their outstanding community support in the village of Walden Stubbs. This together with the fundraising efforts of residents has enabled the installation of a defibrillator. This life saving equipment is invaluable, considering the remote nature of the village.”

Bruce Heppenstall, Drax Power Station Plant Director, said: “We’re proud to be able to support the communities in which we operate. Equipment like this can be life-saving, particularly for people in rural communities which are often further away from medical centres, so we’re delighted to have played a part in providing it.”

Kathryn Oldale, Head of Strategy, Policy and Communications at DB Cargo UK, said: “DB Cargo UK is delighted to have been able to contribute to this invaluable, lifesaving support for the people of Walden Stubbs, local communities and ultimately for our railway family who use the local lines.”

“Having public access defibrillators in more rural settings give people who suffer a cardiac arrest in the community a chance of life because every second counts. Local residents and anyone in the area who may need immediate access to a defibrillator will now have peace of mind that one is set up and ready to go.”

North Yorkshire County Councillor, John McCartney, said: “I was delighted to facilitate a grant of £1,000 to help enable Stubbs Walden become the final community in the area to have its own lifesaving defibrillator in place.”

“It was fantastic of Network Rail to site the defibrillator at one of their level crossings in the village as they have no public buildings in the village. Without their support there would be no defibrillator in Stubbs Walden.”

Andy Hughes, Managing Director for AGH Engineering, said: “When we were approached by Network Rail with the details of this scheme, I had no hesitation in saying that we would help and offer our services at no cost.”

“We undertook a site survey and produced a detailed design for the provision of the power supply. The fast turnaround of the design and the physical installation has been a great example of collaborative working between ourselves, Network Rail, the community and other partners.”

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