New public access defibrillator for the Eastgate Community

The Friends of the Eastgate are thrilled to announce the successful completion of their fundraising campaign for a community defibrillator. In collaboration with neighbouring businesses and St John Scotland, the initiative has garnered overwhelming support and has now made a life-saving defibrillator available to the Eastgate public.

The newly installed defibrillator, located on the wall of the Cafe of the East Gate Theatre, features an unlocked cabinet provided by St John Scotland. This allows 24/7 public access in the event of a cardiac arrest, offering crucial minutes that can make a significant difference in assisting a casualty. The urgency for an unlocked defibrillator cabinet became apparent when news broke that the defibrillator on the Parish Church steps had been used twice in the last few months.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to the generous contributors who made this achievement possible. Special acknowledgments to Forsyth’s, Blackwood & Smith, The Royal Bank of Scotland—whose creative initiative, a bake sale, successfully raised funds—BSpoke Bicycles, Fat Face, Villeneuve Wines, Studio One Hair, The Nationwide Building Society, which organised an impactful raffle. A special mention is reserved for Martin Rayburn & Son, who installed the defibrillator.

The Peebles First Responders unit have agreed to maintain the Defibrillator. The official handover ceremony to the First Responders will take place on Saturday, 16th December at 3:00, marking a momentous occasion for the community. Les Cussin, the coordinator for Peebles and area first responders, will be present to accept the defibrillator on behalf of the responders. The Friends of the Eastgate Theatre want to celebrate the occasion during their Christmas Pop-in. 

Click here to see Christmas Pop-in event details