Three Portsmouth schools join forces to raise nearly £2,500 for life-saving equipment for residents

Meon Infant School, Meon Junior School, and Moorings Way Infant School, alongside The Portsmouth City Council Neighbourhood Scheme, raised the money for the installation and commissioning of two defibrillators for anyone to access. From sponsored bike rides and cake sales, to non-uniform days and hula hooping competitions, this project has brought three school communities together to provide a critical benefit to those who require it.

Ann Simmons, a member of staff at Meon Infant School who led the project, said the fundraising has provided an opportunity to raise awareness among children about how important defibrillators are. She said: ‘It’s amazing to see the children do their bit in raising money for these life saving machines. We have explained to them about the importance of defibrillators, while promoting the message of doing good to positively benefit people within the community.

‘It has been lovely to be a part of this project, and to now see the defibrillators operational for local residents is brilliant. This project has brought all three schools together and unified them. We have seen teachers, students, families, and the wider community work together to get to this moment.’

SEE ALSO: Schools ‘closed door’ approach to police

The overall cost of the defibrillators was £2,406. The Portsmouth City Council Neighbourhood Scheme provided £1,015, with the rest of the money raised from the brilliant efforts of children and staff. London Hearts, a charity that supplies the machines, sold them to the school for less than usual.

The Thinking Schools Academy Trust, which all three schools belong, covered the cost of the groundwork required to install the machines. Roman, from Year 2, who took part in a sponsored bike ride to raise money for the machines, says he is impressed with his efforts. He said: ‘I did a sponsored bike ride around the city. I needed to get onto the ferry to go to the Isle of Wight, which was exciting. It was pretty long, but it made me feel really happy, because if someone is ill, they can then type in the code on the boxes [yellow lockable cabinets mounted in Shelford Road and Moorings Way] to get the machine to save someone’s life.’

The schools’ enthusiasm to raise money for the life saving devices, which began in April 2021, stemmed from first aid training delivered to staff and students. Sara Paine, executive headteacher for all three schools, expressed her pride in the time and effort put into making this moment a reality. She said: ‘The team have done exceptionally well in their fundraising and organisation of bringing us to this moment. Because of all that our three schools and community have done, the residents of Milton and the surrounding areas now feel even safer. They have peace of mind that, in an unfortunate event of a cardiac arrest, there is a defibrillator nearby to use until an ambulance arrives.’

‘At all three schools, we’re all about providing opportunities for our children to engage with things they have never tried before. This community project is one of many things we are part of to encourage our children to do good for their hometown and to be their best selves.’