Tweedbank Thistle F.C. recently received support from the Scottish Football Partnership Trust ,through the Grassroots Football Facilities Fund, to assist with the cost of purchasing a Defibrillator. The Club who are based in the Scottish Borders, provides Inclusive participation opportunities for 160 kids registered from primary 1 to primary 7 (boys and girls of all abilities).
Richard Moffat, Co-Chair person at Thistle said, “For some time we had been discussing the need to have a defibrillator but due to a lack of available funds we did not have capacity to buy one. With the very high profile Christian Ericsson incident at the Euro’s it prompted us into action. During our training evenings and when we are playing fixtures or in mini festivals on a Saturday morning, there can be as many as 120 kids playing football and a further 250 parents/ relatives spectating at the one time. In addition to this our pitches are also well used all year round for communal purposes. The nearest defibrillator prior to us getting one was far enough away that it could take as long as 20 minutes to locate for use. With the statistics telling us that the survival rate decreases by 10% every minute for someone suffering a cardiac arrest, we were keen to be able to look after the wellbeing of our players, coaches, their families and the wider community, should the need ever arise. We were aware through social media that ‘The Scottish Football Partnership Trust’ had supported other local clubs in the past with purchasing one, and we reached out to them for guidance. We were delighted when they confirmed they would fund 60% of the costs. Stuart and his team were excellent to work with from initial enquiry right through to delivery of the defibrillator. Thank you very much on behalf of the whole Tweedbank community for your help with this project. Without you we would not have been able to complete the purchase. Keep doing the great work you do to support grassroots football and upwards, your support really is making a huge difference.”