NESTON Cricket Club has been given life-saving equipment in memory of a young man who died suddenly whilst playing sport.
Neston Cricket Club was presented with the defibrillator at a special handover by the Craig Hodgkinson Trust.
The Trust was set up by the family of club member Lawrence McNeight, whose cousin, Royal Marine Craig Hodgkinson, died suddenly aged 27, while playing rugby for the Royal Navy in 2006.
Craig’s father John was at Neston to present club president Andrew Wallis with the defibrillator.
The post mortem into Craig’s death revealed he may have lived had a defibrillator been available. The Trust, supported by the British Heart Foundation, raises money to provide sporting clubs such as Neston with the life-saving equipment.
Every week in the UK, it is reported that about 12 young sport people, like Craig, die from undiagnosed heart conditions. The automated external defibrillators (AEDs) deliver a controlled electric shock to the heart in order to restore normal heartbeat after a cardiac arrest.
When the heart stops, every second counts – for every minute that passes the chances of survival drop by 14 per cent.
Andrew Wallis said: “We are delighted to accept such a vital piece of equipment. This machine could mean the difference between life and death in an emergency.
“With more than 1,300 members, many of them young sportsmen like Craig, we take seriously our responsibility to ensure that we are not only providing the best sporting facilities in the region, but also the best medical back-up.”
West Cheshire Ambulance has provided club members with training.
John Hodgkinson said: “It is our belief that it might have been possible to have saved Craig’s life had a defibrillator been available. For this reason, we want to prevent another family from suffering such a devastating loss. We hope that lives will be saved as a result of the defibrillators we are providing around the UK and are delighted that Neston Cricket Club has become our latest recipient.”