New Defibrillator for St Asaph Cathedral
The city of St Asaph is to benefit from a new defibrillator placed inside St Asaph Cathedral.
The mobile device is available inside the ancient building to help those who may suffer cardiac arrest during services and events or those visiting the Translators’ Tearoom or churchyard.
The installation has been supported by Save a Life Cymru, a Welsh Government programme, as part of its campaign to reduce the number of deaths from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.
Receiving the defibrillator, the Dean of St Asaph Cathedral, the Very Reverend Nigel Williams, said: “We are immensely grateful to Save a Life Cymru for working with us at St Asaph Cathedral. The availability and accessibility of defibrillators here and in other Church in Wales sites is a game changer in helping to reduce the number of fatalities from cardiac arrest and we are ready to play our part in this life saving campaign.
“Of course, we hope there will never be a need to use it but it will give great comfort that the defibrillator is available at the cathedral and for the tearoom, which see hundreds of visitors each week.”
The Cathedral staff team were given instructions on how to use the defibrillator in the event of an emergency by the Save a Life Cymru Community Coordinator Team Leader Christopher West. He visited the Cathedral on Tuesday 18 March to present the device and guide the team on how to carry out checks regularly to ensure it remains in working order.
This defibrillator is now the third located close to the Cathedral with the others, on the High Street and outside the Chippery on Mount Road, being available at all times of the day and night.
Save a Life Cymru estimates that every year in Wales more than 6,000 people will have an out of hospital cardiac arrest. They often occur suddenly and without warning. Without early recognition and immediate action, such as performing CPR and using a defibrillator, in the first few minutes of the cardiac arrest happening, death is likely.
Professor Len Nokes, Chair of Save a Life Cymru said: “I am delighted that Save a Life Cymru has supported the arrival of this new mobile defibrillator at St Asaph Cathedral. This mobile defibrillator is part of our innovative approach in helping to provide prompt emergency care across Wales.
“It’s important to us that we encourage more people to become CPR and defibrillator aware so more lives can be saved if a cardiac arrest happens.
“You don’t need any training to use a defibrillator, but you can build-up your confidence by taking a few minutes to watch our CPR and defibrillation awareness films, just search for Save a Life Cymru.”
A special helpline is available for anyone who has witnessed or performed CPR. The number to call is 0808 8021234 and you can find out more at: Support after cardiac arrest | Resuscitation Council UK.
St Asaph Cathedral is one of the main heritage attractions along the A55 corridor and features on the brown tourism signage from that route. It receives thousands of visitors each year both for regular services as well as events, concerts and festivals. Translators Tearoom, which adjoins the cathedral, was opened in 2018.
The current St Asaph Cathedral dates from the fourteenth century and was instrumental in the preservation of the Welsh language. It displays an original copy of the William Morgan Bible which dates from 1588, along with the first translation of the New Testament into Welsh dating from 1567, made by the Denbighshire scholar William Salesbury; the revision of the William Morgan Bible from 1620 made by Bishop Richard Parry – also Bishop of St Asaph, and a Book of Common Prayer from 1621 containing The Edmund Prys Psalter which allowed Psalms to be sung in Welsh in church for the first time.
St Asaph Cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of St Asaph, one of the six Bishops of the Church in Wales, an autonomous Province of the worldwide Anglican Communion.