Tiverton defibrillator training draws record crowds to Town Hall

25 Nov 2024, 13:38 by Lewis Clarke · DevonLive

Tiverton Town Hall was packed to capacity for a successful CPR and defibrillator training session.

Organised by Tiverton Town Council chair of climate and resilience, Councillor Chris Berry, alongside vice chair and training expert Councillor Jason Lejeune on November 20.

The event was so popular that a second session had to be arranged on the same night to accommodate demand.

Councillor Berry said, “It was a pleasure to see the Town Hall at full capacity for the latest event offering free CPR and defibrillator training thanks to my vice chair, and fellow LIFT Councillor Jason Lejeune of Jason Lejeune Training Specialists.”

The initial announcement of the event attracted more interest than expected.

“Within 24 hours of publishing, we were aware we had too many interested for the Town Hall to cope with due to a 60-person limit, so a second session was set up to follow it on the same night,” Cllr Berry explained.

The training sessions drew participants from a wide range of ages and backgrounds, all eager to learn life-saving skills. Cllr Berry highlighted the positive feedback received, saying, “It was very well attended and was well received by all ages. Hopefully, many more residents will now be confident to use a defibrillator and assist someone in need.”

The event’s success was the result of a team effort, with Cllr Berry expressing his gratitude to those who contributed:

“Thanks to Cllr Jason Lejeune, Cllr Tony Wheeler, Philip Walker, community responder for Tiverton, and Tom Lindus for supporting the training.”

This event is part of a broader initiative led by Cllr Berry to promote engagement and resilience within the Tiverton community.

“Since becoming the vice chair of Climate and Resilience last year on being elected as a Tiverton Town Councillor, I started trying to arrange monthly engagement meetings for fellow councillors and the public,” he said.

“On being elected chair this year, I am pushing that forward and have so far held or set up a range of meetings, from sustainable housing, wildlife and nature gardening, Tiverton Net Zero, flood concerns, Tiverton to Exeter Multi-User/Cyclepath, and many more.”

Looking ahead, Cllr Berry and Cllr Lejeune are spearheading the development of a detailed Tiverton Emergency Plan.

“Moving forward, Jason and I, with the support of Cllr Steve Bush, are writing a detailed Tiverton Emergency Plan, hoping to protect all residents, no matter what emergency is thrown at our great town,” said Cllr Berry.

The plan will be presented in a public forum on Wednesday, January 29, at 6.30 pm, with the venue to be confirmed.

Cllr Berry added: “We are looking to engage all schools, community centres, groups and clubs, the emergency services, volunteers, and any person or business willing to volunteer their knowledge or experience to benefit the project and keep our residents safe.”

For more information about the Emergency Plan or upcoming events, residents are encouraged to follow updates on social media.