Thanks to a generous benefactor the people of Inverness have been given a Valentine’s day gift to that will really keep hearts beating.
Just in time for the annual celebration of all things heart-shaped, Father Domenico Zanré, at St Columba’s Church, has had a defibrillator installed outside his Culloden church building.
Fr. Zanré is the parish priest at Culloden and is the vicar general of the Aberdeen Roman Catholic diocese.
Councillor Duncan Macpherson, who represents Westhill and Culloden Moor in his Inverness South ward, said Father Zanré told parishoners that the defibrillator was both for congregation and for the general public to use.
He said: “The congregation preferred that the defibrillator had full 24-hour access in the event of an emergency, when someone suddenly had a cardiac arrest.
‘Generous benefactor’
“The funding for the defibrillator and the secure wall mounted case was donated by a generous benefactor, when they heard its intended use was for anyone passing or in the nearby communities of Smithton and Culloden.”
St. Columba’s Church was built in 2008 and is located at the junction of Tower Road, Culloden with Murray Road in Smithton and it is close by to the Culloden Forest woodland walks car park.
He continued: “To access the secure box and release the defibrillator inside, the public would simply dial 999 and give the emergency call handler the location and details of the casualty.
“They will be given the unique four-digit code to access the defibrillator. There are specific voice activation instructions as to how to correctly apply the defibrillator to the casualty and hopefully save a life.”
Do you know where your nearest defibrillator is?
Members of the public are asked to familiarise themselves with their nearest local defibrillators, so that they can be used to save lives in the event of an emergency.
There is a public defibrillator further uphill outside the Scotmid Co-op at Woodside Village in Westhill.
Last month, a motor mechanic in Inverness’s Carsegate Road Industrial Estate had a defibrillator fitted outside his business for public access.
To find out where your nearest defibrillator is click here.