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Selfie awareness puts the heart into banding for Menai Bridge

Band Pres Porthaethwy/Menai Bridge Band ensure that the profile of community defibrillators in North Wales is kept at the highest possible level.

Meani Bridge
  The band received their own bandroom defibrillator for their superb efforts

Band Pres Porthaethwy/Menai Bridge Band have been playing its part in helping raise the profile and importance of community defibrillators.

In February each year the Welsh Ambulance Services Trust (WAST) runs its 'Defibruary' campaign, to inform the public where the life saving equipment is situated, how to use it in the need of an emergency and how to gain funding in order to purchase one for their community.

The band decided to support the campaign by encouraging members, families and friends to travel across North Wales taking 'selfies' with any defibrillators they might find, and then posting the photos on social media — especially those that were not as yet on the Ambulance Services' online register.

The feedback from band members was that seeking-out the machines was really good fun, with some of them seeing parts of North Wales they'd never seen before. All that and it was, of course, tremendously worthwhileBand Pres Porthaethwy/Menai Bridge Band

200 selfies

By the end of February the band had submitted 'selfies' for over 200 defibrillators, and the members' efforts were such that they have now been presented with a machine of its own.

A spokesperson told 4BR; "The feedback from band members was that seeking-out the machines was really good fun, with some of them seeing parts of North Wales they'd never seen before.

All that and it was, of course, tremendously worthwhile."

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Ian Holmes

BA (hons), PGDip (RCM), ARCM, ALCM
Conductor, piano accompanist and educator


               

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