Newark Town Council installs new defibrillator at Newark Town Hall ready for an emergency

A new life saving piece of equipment has been installed in the heart of Newark.

Newark Town Council has invested in a brand new defibrillator, which is now located in the Town Hall ready to be used in the case of an emergency.

In recent months, the council has been looking at ways to expand the use of the Town Hall by hosting more events and hiring out rooms for special occasions, such as weddings — but with this increased usage comes a greater likelihood that someone may need emergency medical assistance.

Town Hall caretaker and mayor’s officer, Pete Tomlinson, said “With the footfall increasing, the risk is increasing too.

“So, it’s really important that we have this. It won’t always be needed, but it is here for when it is.

“At the moment, people have to go out in the Market Place and wait for an authorisation code, but with this all you need to do in an emergency is let a member of staff know and they can access it.”

Over the years Pete has had to deal with a number of incidents at the Town Hall first hand, from trips and falls, to faintings.

Then in the summer of 2022, he was faced with a very real scenario of a man falling ill while in attendance at an event in the building.

Pete acted quickly on his first aid training to save the life of the man by performing CPR and was later praised for his efforts, but the incident highlighted the need for more life saving equipment such as defibrillators.

The new defibrillator has joined several others around the town centre as part of the defibrillator network in Newark — the closest one to the Town Hall is currently located in an old phone box, next door to Toni & Guy in Newark Market Place.

All Town Hall staff who are first aid trained have also received defibrillator training, but the new defibrillator automatically reads out clear and simple instructions to the operator, making it easy to use for those without training.