Summer breathing incident at Ellesmere Bowling Club convinced them to get life-saving kit
An incident where a visiting player struggled for breath helped convince an Ellesmere club to install a life-saving defibrillator.
And this week, following a generous donation of £1,800 from a generous community organisation in town, the Ellesmere Bowling Club has the kit all wired up and connected to its club house.
"She is OK after the incident," said Gerard Brooke-Bennett who took on the task of getting the equipment. "But it got me thinking what would happen if we did have an emergency.
"The nearest defibrillators are in town which is quite a distance away and the delays in ambulance call times was also another factor in our thinking."
Fortunately Mr Brooke-Bennett's fundraising campaign was relatively short and simple as Ellesmere League of Friends stepped up to the plate and offered the whole amount.
That's £1,200 for the defibrillator and £600 for the box it is contained in on the wall. It has a heater and a fan to keep it at the right temperature.
"Thankfully we haven't had to use it yet but it is simple to use as it talks you through instructions," said Mr Brooke-Bennett.
Club members, local police, Ellesmere League of Friends and residents gathered at the club in Church Hill, earlier this week for a Shropshire Star photographer to record the auspicious event. It will be available for the wider community too as a large number of walkers visit the grounds to admire the stunning view over the mere and the town.
The club, which is a community run, non profit organisation, today has more than 79 members with ambitions to grow.
Members are aged from 13 upwards and from all walks of life, including bakers, teachers, painters, factory workers, engineers and of course people of a certain vintage.
Mr Brooke-Bennett and the club are looking into replacing their lower club house but an estimated £65,000 price tag may not be as simple to achieve.
"We're looking for rich benefactor!," said Mr Brooke-Bennett.
It is believed that the bowling green has been in existence since the seventeenth century, with surviving records dating only back to 1898.
The club is run by an elected committee headed by "The Mayor of the Green", a title used rather than “Chairman”. Julie Thorborn is the current mayor.
The top bowling green stands on an ancient motte and bailey castle site, thought to have been constructed by Roger de Montgomery, the head of a marcher lordship, soon after 1086.
It has a full 360 degree view across the beautiful countryside of the Welsh Marches, the Cheshire Plain, North Staffordshire and the local North Shropshire tourist attraction.
During 2021, the club entered a team in the Wem league, three in the Whitchurch league, three in the Barlows league, two in the Oswestry league, one in the Malpass league, and one in the Wrexham league.
To find out more about the club, and to join visit its Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/ellesmerebowlingclub
Or visit its website http://www.ellesmerebowlingclub.org.uk/contact/
