Kings Theatre thanks firm for donating defibrillator

The Kings Theatre was donated a defibrillator and it will be at its box office for use by anyone in the area who might need it.

Staff at the theatre will be trained in how to use the defibrillator, which is used when a person goes into cardiac arrest.

The theatre was given the machine following its partnership with DA Training & Consultancy in Eastleigh.

It has been working with The Kings to offer team leading and management training to two members of its staff.

As part of that, it taught them first aid and decided to buy the defibrillator.

Managing director of DA Training Lorna Carter-Blake said: ‘We offered some first aid and health and safety training as part of the partnership.

‘In discussions, the theatre mentioned the traders of Albert Road wanted to get a defibrillator for the people who visit the theatre and people living nearby.

‘We looked into it and offered the defibrillator as well as the first aid training to help not just the theatre users but also the traders and residents.’

In 2015, The News launched its Heartbeat campaign which aimed to get more defibrillators installed in public places.

Since the launch, businesses, community groups and councillors have supported the installation of more than 30 defibrillators across the area.

Every year more than 30,000 people suffer a cardiac arrest in the UK, and only one in 10 people survive.

Research shows for every minute a person spends without CPR and defibrillation, their chances of survival drop by 10 per cent.

House manager and corporate manager at The Kings Terence Carvalho said: ‘Having this defibrillator is hugely important, not just for the Kings but for Albert Road and the wider Southsea area.

‘For the pantomime alone, we have 40,000 people through our doors so to have a defibrillator on-hand for us is amazing.

‘It’s a great thing DA Training have done for us. We are grateful for their donation.’