A Mearns town left heartbroken by the sudden death of a mum and her unborn son have launched a massive fundraising drive to buy lifesaving equipment for the community.
Amy Wilson, 31, collapsed and died at a coffee morning in Laurencekirk last November when she was just weeks away from giving birth to her boy, Harry.
She is survived by her fiancé Peter Reid and two daughters Chloe, 2, and Halle, who has just celebrated her eighth birthday.
It is understood that Ms Wilson’s death may have been caused by an extremely rare heart condition, with tests still continuing.
As the town learns to live with the tragedy, two of Ms Wilson’s friends have started to raise funds for at least one publicly accessible defibrillator to use in case of emergencies.
The first of three family fundraising events will be held on Friday March 14 at Dizzy Rascals play centre in the village.
While it is not certain that a defibrillator would have saved Ms Wilson, her friends and family believe that having such kit available 24 hours a day could make the difference to someone else who has suffered a cardiac arrest.
Marjolein Donker, 32, and Megan Mitchell, 21, were both sitting next to Ms Wilson at the coffee morning when she collapsed.
The women, who work at the Laurencekirk Out of School Club, hope to raise at least £2,500 for the equipment.
Ms Mitchell added: “When Amy died it highlighted that there wasn’t a defibrillator in Laurencekirk that was available to the public 24-hours a day. There is one in the fire station, but that was not open on the day Amy died.
“The response we have had so far has been very, very positive and I think the community just want to help. It also helps to know that you are taking some good out of what has been an awful situation. It has affected everyone.”
Ms Donker said: “After Amy died, the parents really came to us and said they wanted to do something for the family, but they didn’t really know what to give or what to do. This is something constructive and people have been really supportive.”
While Laurencekirk has eight Community First Responders, which offer emergency medical support until paramedics arrive, none were on duty on the morning that Ms Wilson collapsed.
The volunteers, who are equipped with defibrillators, may not always be called by 999 operators.
Helen Reid, the mother-in-law of Ms Wilson and grandmother to her children, believes that having use of a defibrillator may have helped townspeople deal with the emergency as they waited for the ambulance, which took more than 20 minutes to arrive.
She said: “I know that a defibrillator may not have saved Amy’s life, but to have had access to the equipment may have helped a very fraught situation. Having a defibrillator could save the life of someone else.
“My son Peter has been so grateful for this fundraising. He wanted something constructive done for the village, something that everyone could benefit from.”
Donations for the defibrillator can be made to RBS account 00114176 sort code 83-24-17.