Cash donation funds first life-saving equipment of its kind

B&M have helped fund the North West’s first life-saving equipment of its kind for people in the region.

The donation of £20,000 to the North West Air Ambulance Charity will help them buy not one, but two LUCAS Chest Compression systems - vital pieces of medical equipment.

The life-saving equipment will be based on two of their helicopters and will help standardise chest compressions by providing automated CPR on a patient suffering from cardiac arrest - this will help steady the supply of oxygen to the heart and brain, and could increase the chance of survival by up to 30%.

NWAA Corporate Fundraising Officer, Megan Edwards-Nolan, said: “These systems will be a first for the North West so by supporting us B&M have helped to improve chances of survival and will be making a real impact to our patients.

“Whilst the speed of our helicopters is vital in cardiac arrest situations, the small cabin of the aircraft can make the delivery of CPR challenging, even for our highly experienced crew.

“Having a LUCAS device on board will allow cardiac arrest patients to receive effective, sustained CPR throughout their treatment.”

Area Manager, Colin Rockcliffe, said: “We’re delighted that our donation is going towards such a fantastic piece of equipment which could help save the lives of so many people across the North West.

“The work the team do is outstanding so it’s great that the money local shoppers have spent on carrier bags is going towards saving local lives.”

The NWAA operate three helicopters during the day, 365 days a year, covering an area of 5,500 square miles and nearly 9 million people.