A charity founded after the death of an Abbots Langley man 18 years ago has recently donated its 93rd defibrillator.
On Monday, August 14, founder of Wayne’s Fund Glyn Pope (left) and his wife Alison (right) visited The Unicorn pub on Gallows Hill. They gave landlords Ade (second from right) and Debbie (second from left) the portable life-saving defibrillator to have on the site’s premises in case of emergency.
It’s one of many defibrillators Glyn’s family has donated to public spaces across the county, following the unexpected death of his 30-year-old brother Wayne in 2005.
Glyn and Wayne’s father John spoke to Abbots News about the work the charity has carried out since then.
He said: “Wayne was a really popular young man, and he gave a lot of people joy in life.
“Initially, the fund’s role was just to get the defibrillators to schools. When we first offered them [defibrillators], they turned them down. They were frightened of them. So, we started doing talks about why they’re so important. Since then, it’s really grown, even beyond schools.
“We’ve been really lucky and fortunate to have had so much support.
“Since we’ve started, a couple of the defibrillators have been used to save lives. One got used to save a five-year-old boy at Abbots Langley School.
“The most amazing story is that when Wayne was a pupil at Francis Combe (now Future Academies Watford), he had a favourite teacher. Years later, we donated a defibrillator to the school, and it got used to save that teacher’s life.
“It is absolutely essential to have defibrillators in public spaces.”
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Photo Credit: Wayne’s Fund
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