Probus Clubs make lifesaving donation

Representatives of the three local Probus Clubs present a Defibrillator to the Leighinmohr House Hotel Sales Manager Nikki Armstrong. They are: L-R, President of Pentagon Probus James Erwin, President of Seven Towers Probus Ken Atkinson and President of Ballymena Probus Club, Herbie Park. Also pictured is (back left) Darren McGinty of Ballymena Borough Council who trains volunteers in defirillator use, Adrian Fullerton of Leighinmohr Hotel and other representatives of the three Probus Clubs.. INBT 52-107JC

Last week, the Presidents of the Seven Towers, Ballymena and Pentagon Probus Clubs called into The Leighinmohr House where they handed over an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) to the hotel’s sales manager, Nikki Armstrong.

James Erwin (Pentagon), Ken Atkinson (Seven Towers) and Herbie Park (Ballymena) were joined for the presentation by members of their Clubs and also Darren McGinty of Ballymena Borough Council who trains volunteers in the use of defibrillators.

The Probus defibrillator project was initiated some time ago by Seven Towers Club member David Allen who, as a member of the Ambulance Service in 1985 had been trained by Dr Charles Wilson, a cardiac consultant in the Waveny Hospital, to be one of the first to carry and use a manual defibrillator.

Chris Dixon, honorary secretary of Seven Towers Probus Club, told The Ballymena Times: “In July, 2012, he had a sudden cardiac arrest in the Fairhill Shopping Centre and but for the immediate intervention of the security staff and the use of CPR and their AED unit by the Fairhill Centre manager he would not be alive today.

“Since his recovery, he has been involved in training people in CPR and in the use of AED.”