Dear Residents and Parish Councillors,
I am writing to introduce myself, and to let you know about a new life-saving project, funded by MHDC and supported by Community Action Malvern & District, which I hope to develop in your Parish. The project is called Heartstart West Worcestershire. As part of this project, I would like to establish a community resuscitation scheme called Heartstart Kempsey which will cover the parishes of Kempsey, Severn Stoke and Croome D'Abitot. I have already contacted Kempsey Parish Council but wanted to bring this project to your attention too.
I have attached a paper about the project. You will see that the main aim of the project is to increase the survival rate from a cardiac arrest by providing free Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training and increasing the number of public access defibrillators available to be used in an emergency.
My interest in teaching members of the public resuscitation originates from my career with the former Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service. As a Paramedic, I have seen how important it is for people, including school children, to be taught such important skills, which will have a significant impact on whether the person survives a cardiac arrest or not.
The project will only be able to go ahead if I can recruit at least six volunteers to become trainers. Volunteers do not need to be from a healthcare or training background, as they will all complete a short ‘train the trainer’ course.
I would be grateful for any help or support which you can provide identifying or recruiting volunteers. If you are aware of anyone who may be interested, please forward the attached information to them and ask them to contact me directly. Once I have a few people interested, I will arrange a short meeting to provide them with a little more information about the project. Please be aware that I am only working one day a week on the project, so it may take a day or so to respond to any emails.
Please contact me if you have any questions or require any further information at this stage. I would be happy to attend one of your Parish Council Meetings, if any of your colleagues wanted more information about the project.
Kind regards, Richard Vakis Lowe
Community Resuscitation Facilitator
Heartstart West Worcestershire
Published: 15/08/2025 Published by: Severn Stoke & Croome d'Abitot Parish Council
Return to News Page.