December last year witnessed an emergency at Denton’s Festival Hall that highlighted the importance of having a defibrillator at the site. Luckily on hand at that time was John Paul Gilmour and Penny Brooks, Directors of Lifeline Community Ambulance, a community interest organisation. The pair are now backing a new campaign organised by Denton North East Councillors to have more accessible defibrillators in Denton town centre. Councillor Denise Ward said: “What’s great about being at the Festival Hall after its closure is opening up its use to a number of groups in the community from the Luncheon Club to Tony Moran at the Denton Bowling Group and Janet Fagan with theatre. We are also delighted to welcome John Gilmour and Penny from Lifeline plus the NHS will be here at the Luncheon Club on the last Thursday of the month to do health checks. So, with the increased use and the incident last year it stimulated the idea to get a defibulator here.

So, what we intend to do is raise funds to get Denton some defibrillators that can be sited in the town centre including the Festival Hall. The key event for this will be a 3-course meal at The Indian Plaza in Audenshaw on the 22nd February with tickets £20 for adults and £10 for children. You can get tickets from the Festival Hall or The Indian Plaza if you want to support our campaign.” Mafuz Mia at The Indian Plaza is no stranger to hosting fundraising events for the Mayor’s Charity, Willow Wood Hospice and Christies to name but a few. He said: “I’m really proud to help this campaign to raise funds for the defibulators in Denton, they are such a useful piece of equipment that can really make a difference in an emergency situation. So come and enjoy a delicious meal here at the Indian Plaza, meet The Joker and Batman plus raise money for a great cause.”
Penny Brooks from Lifeline Community Ambulance reiterated the importance having a defibrillator by saying: “Early intervention after cardiac arrest is vital to help get the heart back into a normal rhythm. If you have a defib unit in your place of work its useful to know how they work, there can be training available, and many units also talk you through the process when you operate them.”

The Defibs for Denton fundraiser will take place at 7pm at The Indian Plaza Restaurant on Wednesday February 22nd at 7pm. Tickets are £20 for adults with children £10 available from the restaurant or Denton Festival Hall. The campaign is supported by Denton North East Councillors, Friends of Denton Festival Hall, The Indian Plaza, Tameside Reporter and About Tameside