Marks & Spencer teams up with British Heart Foundation to install defibrillator at Peterborough's Serpentine Green

A retailer in Peterborough has teamed up with the British Heart Foundation to ensure emergency treatment is on hand for people in the event of a cardiac arrest.

Staff at Marks and Spencer have just overseen the installation of a defibrillator at the retailer’s store in the Serpentine Green Shopping Centre in Hampton.

It is one among many defibrillators the retailer with the help of the British Heart Foundation is rolling out in stores nationwide.

M&S is also partnering with the British Heart Foundation, the Resuscitation Council UK, St John Ambulance and the NHS ambulance services to register all devices on the charity’s national defibrillator network called The Circuit.

The Circuit maps defibrillators across the UK, allowing ambulance services to locate the nearest registered defibrillator when a bystander calls 999 in response to a cardiac arrest.

More than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen in the UK every year according to the British Heart Foundation.

Every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces the chance of survival by up to 10 per cent.

The charity is one of M&S’ Sparks partners, meaning every time a customer chooses the charity and shops at M&S with their Sparks card, M&S makes a 1p donation.

Since June 2020, over £80,000 has been donated to the British Heart Foundation, helping to fund research breakthroughs, clinical trials and vital CPR training.

Jake Beart, Store Manager at M&S Serpentine Green Peterborough, said: “Time is of the essence when responding to a cardiac arrest and we want to do anything we can to help and support the local community.

"It is great to be working with the British Heart Foundation to connect with our local ambulance service and all of our first aiders in-store are CPR trained.”

Judy O’Sullivan, Director of Health Innovation Programmes at the British Heart Foundation, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with M&S to register their defibrillators onto The Circuit – this could help save lives in years to come.

"By ensuring the location of nearby defibrillators are visible to ambulance services in the ultimate medical emergency, M&S is providing an invaluable service to communities across the UK.”