The fantastic fundraising efforts of Doncaster widow Pat Gardner mean that two busy visitor attractions in North Yorkshire will now benefit from the installation of life-saving defibrillators.

Two automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are being placed at Eden Camp Modern History Theme Museum in Malton and York Castle Museum thanks to the funds raised by Pat for the Yorkshire Ambulance Service Charitable Fund and matched funding from the British Heart Foundation.

Pat donates an AED to Museum Director, Nick Hill, and is joined by YAS Community

Defibrillation Trainer Warren Bostock at Eden Camp Modern History Theme Museum

Pat, of Balby in Doncaster, was widowed in September 2009 when her husband Terry collapsed suddenly in the street and passed away despite the efforts of an emergency ambulance crew to resuscitate him. A former nurse, she decided that she wanted to thank the ambulance service for their assistance that day and set about raising money for AEDs in her local community.

Pat completed a 46-mile memorial walk from Doncaster to York in September 2011, raising £1,400, and climbed Kinder Scout in the Derbyshire Peak District in September 2013 to raise a further £1,000. The AEDs are being located in busy places that Pat and Terry frequented and were fond of, including three in her home town - Doncaster Market, Cusworth Hall and Brodsworth Hall.

The Yorkshire Ambulance Service Community Resilience Team has worked closely with Pat on the project and is providing familiarisation training to staff at all of the sites.

Pat is already planning other events to raise more money for further AEDs to be donated.

Commenting on Pat’s fundraising, Warren Bostock, Community Defibrillation Trainer at Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said:

“We are very grateful to Pat for the fundraising she has organised to support Yorkshire Ambulance Service Charitable Fund and the work of the British Heart Foundation in memory of her husband Terry.

“Our Charitable Fund provides support across Yorkshire to a range of community healthcare initiatives, including the installation of defibrillators, volunteer training and essential kit for our Community First Responders.

“The money Pat has raised will help to save lives in North Yorkshire and Doncaster for many years to come.”

For more information on how to use an AED, visit https://life-saver.org.uk/

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust covers almost 6,000 square miles of varied terrain from isolated moors and dales to urban areas, coastline and inner cities and provides 24-hour emergency and healthcare services to a population of more than five million people.

The organisation receives an average of 2,180 emergency and urgent calls per day and employs over 4,600 staff. Our Patient Transport Service makes just under one million journeys per year transporting patients to and from hospital and treatment centre appointments.