A new defibrillator has been installed on the outside of St Andrews church hall thanks to a joint project between St Andrew’s Church and Bridge Church Gornal as they seek to bless and serve their local community.
St Andrews Church has had a long partnership with Bridge Church who worship in St Andrew’s church hall each Sunday and during the week. The churches recognised that a local defibrillator would help save lives with heart disease being one of the top five leading causes of death in the over 50s. Public access to a defibrillator can significantly improve the chances of survival for individuals experiencing sudden cardiac arrest with the nearest defibrillator being in Gornal and Sedgley villages nearby.
The Revd Catherine Mitchell, Acting Team Rector, in the Gornal and Sedgley Team Ministry said: “We really wanted to bless and serve our local community with this project. Having realised that there were no public defibrillators very close, we developed the idea in the summer of 2023 and have been applying for supporting funding. We are grateful for the support of the local councillors and the funding from Your Home: Your Forum (Dudley North), and hope that this equipment will help to save lives.”
The churches have engaged with local residents and businesses in the project. A launch event is planned for Thursday 28 March at 2pm with Ward Councillors Bryn Challenor, David Stanley and Claire Sullivan, and Dudley North MP Marco Longhi. There will also be refreshments in the church hall.
Free training on using the defibrillator will be available for local residents on Thursday 16 May, 7-8pm, led by St John Ambulance in the Church Hall. To book, please use Eventbrite – search for ‘Defibrillator Training for Straits Community’ or contact us by email or 07572 922704.
Bridge Church Gornal is an independent church and was formerly called Straits Community Church. It has served the area since the estate’s conception in the 1960’s and has been led by the Revd Steve Carpenter since 2023. They meet for worship each Sunday evening at 6pm.
St Andrew’s Anglican Church has existed in the area for over 100 years, with the current building completed a matter of months before the First World War, replacing the ‘tin mission hut’. It is led by the Revd Catherine Mitchell and licenced lay leader Canon Jan Humphries. St Andrew’s meets for worship every Sunday at 9.30am.
Church websites: www.bridgechurchgornal.org.uk www.gornalandsedgley.org.uk
