Rother Responders has praised the local community’s response after the theft of the public access defibrillator from the repurposed red phone box in Udimore Road.
The charity said the defibrillator went missing around Christmas, but has been replaced by a temporary machine. Commendably, the local community has already raised the money for a new machine, and this has been ordered.
A spokesperson for Rother Responders and South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAMB) said that while the loss of the original defibrillator was “very upsetting”, there are “very generous people out there” who have donated towards a new unit, designed to save the lives of people who have suffered cardiac arrests. The defibrillators, which cost about £1,000 each, have been installed in seven strategic locations in Rye and a dozen other sites in the Rother region since the charity started in 2012.
SECAMB urged members of the public to remain vigilant if they see anyone interfering with one of the defibrillators. The police should be contacted if this occurs, or if anyone has information about the whereabouts of the missing machine.
The crime number for anyone with information is 0343 23/12/2023 and if you’d like to help Rother Responders you can find more about the charity here.
Image Credits: David Worwood .