A life-saving defibrillator is available seven days a week in a town-centre Angus church, thanks to the generous donation of a member of the congregation.
A £1,000 cheque presented by Forfar man Stewart Davidson from a fund set up in memory of his late wife, Lorna, has enabled the East and Old Parish Church to purchase the kit which is positioned prominently in the foyer.
The gift is one of many made by Mr Davidson through the Lorna Davidson Memorial Fund which, over the last five years has donated £32,000 to a variety of worthy causes.
Mr Davidson, 73, said: “My son Mark and I, set up the fund when my wife died of pancreatic cancer.
“We set it up to raise funds for the needy, to do something in Lorna’s memory.
“She was very thoughtful and looked to the future. When she died I found an envelope she had left with £1,000 which she asked to be used to help children’s causes.”
Stewart and his son organise an annual golf competition and in the past have given money to Lippen Care and pancreatic cancer, diabetes and local children’s charities.
This year they donated £1,000 to pancreatic cancer, diabetes and the East and Old for the defibrillator.
The 2018 golf competition attracted 24 teams, including one from Mr Davidson’s church, with the majority of the funds raised through a raffle supported by local businesses and individuals.
An annual charity music night at The Black Abbot in Montrose also boosts the fund.
Modest in his fund-raising efforts and his donation to the church, Mr Davidson continued: “If this is never used in the next 100 years, great, nobody needs it, but it is there for somebody who may need it.
“The support we have had over the years has been superb.”
The Rev Barbara Ann Sweetin welcomed the donation of the life-saving defibrillator and hoped also hoped it would never be called into use.
She said: “Our prayer is the defibrillator will never be used because hopefully no one will ever have need of it but if someone is in need then we as a church are here to help.
“George McLean from the St Andrew’s Ambulance Association sourced our defibrillator and is coming to train seven members of the kirk in how to use the machine and give us a course in emergency first aid.
“We are open every day at some point and most evenings as well. The Big Kirk Shop will have a key also which means there can be additional access. Some of the shop staff will be getting trained also.”
The donation is the second life-changer donated to the East and Old following the recent gift of a £50,000 mini-bus from church member Eleanor Stewart.
It has been named in memory of the widow’s daughters Hazel, who died in December 2017, and Joyce, who died when she was an infant.
