Lanes Group is supporting World Heart Day for the first time today (September 29th) as part of ongoing work to raise awareness of heart-related conditions.
The drainage specialist will be showing support for the cause through social media, as well as promoting heart health information to its workforce of over 1200 staff.
The company has been working closely with defibrillator charity Hand on Heart, a national charity set up to raise awareness about sudden cardiac arrest suffered by young people.
In the next five years, Lanes Group aims to install defibrillator units at each of its 25 sites. Units have already been received at sites in Slough, Leeds, Eccles and Rainham.
Lanes Group has also donated units to two schools as part of its Protecting Life is Close to our Heart initiative.
St Mark’s RC Primary School in Salford and Stifford Clays Primary School in Thurrock have so far benefitted from defibrillators donated by the company. Lanes Group is also funding defibrillator training for school staff and basic life-support training for pupils, some as young as five years old.
Around 17.3 million people die each year as a result of cardiovascular disease. This includes more than 600 young people dying each year from sudden cardiac arrest, with 270 of those deaths occurring in schools.
Paul McParland, Health, Safety and Environmental Manager, at Lanes Group, said:
“On World Heart Day, it is important to remember the huge number of people affected by cardiovascular illnesses, whether this be families who have lost someone to cardiac arrest, or people at risk of developing a heart-related illness.
“Although drainage is our day job, our commitment to good health and personal safety is central to the company’s ethos. This commitment not only extends to providing essential defibrillator training for staff on our sites, but also to the communities we work in.
“Through our Protecting Life is Close to our Heart initiative, we’ve been able to support the amazing work of the Hand on Heart charity, giving us a chance to make a real difference to the lives of people around the UK.”
