AFTER losing his grandad following an accident which claimed his life, Winnington resident Anthony Lewis is fundraising for a defibrillator for the village.

Four years ago, following a family trip to Ireland, 31-year-old Anthony’s grandad Peter Byrne fell down the stairs.

Tragically, although there was an automated external defibrillator (AED) near to where the family was staying, the family was unable to resuscitate the much-loved 74-year-old, who stopped breathing at the scene.

Yet, despite the accident’s devastating outcome, Anthony says he has always been grateful they family had access to an AED and is determined to help others who may find themselves in a similar situation by raising money for one of these potentially lifesaving pieces of equipment.

Primary school teacher Anthony said: “It was an absolutely awful situation. We were woken up by a bang in the middle of the night and we found him at the bottom of the stairs.

“Thankfully, nearby was an AED and we were able to gain access to it and give him the ultimate lifesaving opportunity. Unfortunately, we were not able to save him.

“Although heart-breaking, it was some relief that we were able to give him the best opportunity to try and save his life.”

A defibrillator is at its most effective when administered within the first minute of a victim collapsing and used within the first three to five minutes, the likelihood of survival increases from six to 74 per cent.

Northwich Guardian:

Anthony Lewis

Anthony, who has only recently moved to Winnington from Manchester, said: “Having a defibrillator close by really makes all the difference.

"Knowing that the nearest one to a village of over 1,000 families is over five minutes away from where we live, I believe it’s important that there should be one in the central shopping district of the village that can be accessed by everyone whenever they most desperately need it.”

With this in mind, Anthony has set up the Make Winnington Village Heart-Safe fundraising page.

 So far, the local community has raised £380 towards its £1,600 target via a GoFundMe page.

Anthony said: “Having been in the situation, which was so confusing and frightening, we were able to take some comfort in that fact we’d done all that we could to try to help my grandad.

“If we can do something that helps to give someone a chance of survival, that’s the most important thing we could make happen after this sad situation.”

To support Anthony, visit gofundme.com/f/make-winnington-village-heartsafe or join the Winnington village defibrillator campaign Facebook group