A BUSY Penzance business has helped raise money to pay for the train station to have its own lifesaving defibrillator.
The Cornishman is campaigning to get 100 lifesaving defibrillators and staff at Thornes on Causewayhead have shown it is possible to help after they managed to raise more than £700 in just four days.
Last September, the fruit and vegetable store was handed a PAD by the Ronnie Richards Memorial Charity, The Cornishman's partner in the Heart Start campaign.
Thornes was so supportive of the campaign staff decided it would be good to raise money for the next one.
Shop employees all dressed up as nurses and doctors and £732 was raised over four days through collection boxes and a raffle.
Manager Mike Bond said: "We have got strong ties with the community here and it is a local thing. Everyone was quite happy to participate."
He added that Thornes was hoping to run another defibrillator day later this year. He knows first-hand how important this machine can be after a customer suffered a cardiac arrest in the store in 2011.
"I was serving the chap who had the cardiac arrest," he said. "I was talking to him and he went like the click of the fingers and that was it.
"Had a doctor not been in the queue he would have been a goner. It was the doctor who saved him at that time but now with the machine there it is piece of mind for people using the street and the employees in the shops."
Penzance train station had its new defibrillator installed in December and most of the station's staff have now been trained to use the equipment.
West Cornwall station manager Sara Rogers said a further PAD – for Truro station – was planned to be installed later this year.
"We have had incidents at Truro," she said "I personally think it is invaluable. The majority of colleagues have been trained. They are all very positive.
"They are keen to make sure the equipment is there and they know how to use it."
To find out how you can help, visit www.rrmc.webs.com, call Johanna Carr at The Cornishman on 01736 335515 or email jcarr@c-dm.co.uk.
