Evolution is proud to have donated vital funds for a life-saving defibrillator for the Fleetwood community.
Former Blackpool Youth Parliament member Connor Pennington was leading the fundraising for the defibrillator at a new Fleetwood Youth Hub.
Connor, 20, and fellow Youth Voice colleagues had already raised £140 from donations on Tram Sunday earlier this year.
By the time a Fleetwood Town Football Club Community Trust event came round recently, fundraising for the defibrillator had stalled.
Connor was talking to our Evolution MD JJ Fitzgerald at the event and asked him if he knew of any contacts who would help him raise the remaining £750 for the defibrillator.
JJ said Evolution would provide all the additional funding needed so that the defibrillator could be purchased and installed as soon as possible.
First aid training provider Harry Wilson also agreed to provide training on the use of the defibrillator at the former Fleetwood Hospital site which has been transformed to include the impressive Youth Hub through the efforts of the Fleetwood Trust which also donated to the defibrillator.
Connor, who is now a Positive Futures support worker for Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Volunteer Centre, based at Fleetwood Youth Hub, said: “I thought JJ was joking when he said Evolution would provide the funding. That kind of generosity is overwhelming. For one business to support us in this way is amazing.
“It helps provide a legacy for me and the young people who have fundraised for it, it’s a legacy for Evolution and it’s a legacy for the Youth Hub. It’s positive for the whole community.”
Connor added: “If anyone was to have a heart attack near the Youth Hub the defibrillator will save vital minutes which could prove crucial. I hope it is never used. But if it is, it could save someone’s life.”
JJ, a trustee of Fleetwood Trust, said: “As soon as I met Connor I was extremely impressed with him and the way he was being so proactive to help the wider community with a fundraising effort which has the potential to save lives.
“Supporting young people and the wider community is at the heart of our ethos at Evolution so we were delighted to be able to help fund this vital defibrillator which is there for any member of the community should they ever need it.”
Charley Wilkinson, CEO of Fleetwood Trust, said: “We are immensely proud of all the young people who make the Youth Hub what it is today, and all our wonderful partners who have helped this amazing transformation of the former hospital.
“To have the support of local businesses like Evolution who have made such a generous donation to ensure that we can install a defibrillator outside the hub is hugely appreciated not only by us, but also by the wider Fleetwood community.”
The defibrillator has been purchased and is set to be installed at Fleetwood Youth Hub in the coming days.
