Defibrillators donated to families in need at Alder Hey

The Oliver King Foundation has teamed up with the Merseyside Police Federation

The defibrillator was handed over at Alder Hey by the Merseyside Police Federation
Author: Harry BoothPublished 19th May 2023

Two defibrillators have been donated to families in need at Alder Hey, in the event their children go into sudden cardiac arrest.

The life-saving devices have been provided by the Merseyside Police Federation after they teamed up with the Oliver King Foundation.

The families receiving the defibrillators are being trained up in how to use them before taking them home with them.

Mark King set up the Oliver King Foundation after his son Oliver died of a cardiac arrest during a school swimming race.

Mark said:

"I always maintain that the Oliver King Foundation is a lucky charity - we think about something and it happens.

"Collette from the (Merseyside) Police Federation contacted us a couple of weeks ago and said 'Mark, we've got a couple of defibs here that we'd like to donate to yourselves to go to a worthy cause.'

"Just at that point, Kate from Alder Hey contacted us and said 'Mark, there's a few families here needing defibs' so it just ran into line.

"Some people are more confident than others. What the responding team is doing at Alder Hey is taking the fear factor out of the family so if something does happen and the ambulance can't get to them, then they will be the first chain of survival for their little boys."

Collette Knox from the Merseyside Police Federation said:

"It does make us feel immensely proud to be able to assist and help other charities around the Merseyside area.

"Without the support of donations and member lottery subscriptions, we wouldn't be able to do the things that we do.

"We will continue to do it as well and hopefully continue to help Mark and his foundation and lots of other small charities across Merseyside."

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