A defibrillator at the Tan Hill Inn has been recognised as one of the most unusually located lifesaving devices in the UK.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has included the device at the famous pub near Richmond in a new series of photographs highlighting defibrillators in unexpected locations around the country.
Already known as Britain’s highest pub, Tan Hill Inn is now being described as the home of the highest defibrillator in England.
The photograph is one of ten taken by photographer Alicia Hayden for the BHF’s The UK’s most extraordinary defibrillators collection.
The campaign aims to encourage people responsible for defibrillators to register them on The Circuit, the UK’s national defibrillator network.
There are currently just under 123,000 devices registered, with the BHF hoping to reach 125,000 by the end of the year.
The Circuit provides NHS ambulance services with information about the location of defibrillators so they can be found quickly following a cardiac arrest.
BHF says more than 40,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur in the UK every year, including around 3,100 in Yorkshire. Fewer than one in ten people survive, although timely CPR and defibrillation can more than double someone’s chances of survival.
Max Weston, an employee at Tan Hill Inn, said the pub’s remote location demonstrated the importance of having lifesaving equipment available in rural areas.
“It was fantastic to hear that our defib has been recognised on this list of most extraordinary defibrillators in the UK,” he said.
“While our remote location is part of what makes this place so special, it also highlights why having a defibrillator nearby can be so important.
“Cardiac arrests can happen anywhere, at any time and access to potentially life-saving equipment shouldn’t be limited by geography.”
Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive of the BHF, said thousands of defibrillators were still not registered on the national database, meaning ambulance services may not know they are available during an emergency.
She added: “We’re so close to getting a truly nationwide picture of where defibrillators are located on The Circuit, but there are still thousands missing.
“That means they’re not visible to ambulance services in an emergency, when seconds count.”
The charity is urging organisations and individuals responsible for defibrillators to check their devices are registered with The Circuit.
