The family and friends of a Richmond man have raised enough money for three more defibrillators to be installed in the town.
The widow, niece and neighbour of Anthony ‘Tiny’ Power came together with the support of the local community to fund the equipment following his sudden death in January.
Tiny was a very well-known figure in Richmond, having been the president of the Richmond Round Table.
His widow Chris Power, niece Skye Kelly and neighbour Steve Morris decided to channel their grief into fundraising for the life-saving equipment, and collectively raised over £8,000 in just a few months.
Steve, who is also a community first responder, completed a 150-mile bike ride around the East Coast, and Skye along with family friend Crystal ran a raffle which sold over 2,000 tickets.
Heart of Richmond was founded in 2022 by ex-forces man, Lee Whitworth, who owns A&E Harmonious Compliance Training Limited with his wife, schoolteacher Alison.
They worked with Loo Morton and husband Dave from Neeps & Tatties and together they had raised money to install 11 defibs across the town.
The incredible efforts of Tiny’s family and friends have increased that number 14, with a further two due to be installed soon.
Tiny’s widow, Chris said: “I want to thank everybody that helped us raise this incredible sum to purchase the 3 defibs. It means a lot to me that something good has come out of something so devastating.
“Anthony was an incredibly special person, and the success of the fundraising is an amazing legacy in his memory, and I know the defibs will help save lives and I take comfort in that.”
According to the British Heart Foundation, in the event of cardiac arrest, every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces the chances of survival by 10 per cent.
Lee said: “The support from our local community has been inspirational. From corporate donors to individuals, local businesses taking collection tins and people donating their time to help make this happen, we’re truly in a position where we can provide vital equipment to save many, many lives.
“On behalf of Heart of Richmond, I’d like to thank Chris, Skye, Crystal and Steve for their selfless efforts to support the work we are doing, they are incredible people.”
The charity is supported by its founders mentioned above, as well as installation by Jason Hammond from HSF Steel, graphic design from Paul Dobson at Hartson Creative and PR & social media from Lizzie Turner at Peachy Digital.
This project is funded through donations which can be made by businesses and individuals, with details available at https://www.facebook.com/HeartofRichmondNY/.
