March 22, 2021

A children’s nursery has joined forces with a popular seaside attraction to install new life-saving equipment at the site.

Willow Tree Nursery in Chingford Avenue has handed over a defibrillator to Clacton Pier after an impressive fundraising drive.

Parents and staff hoped to come up with enough money to buy one defibrillator but ended up with sufficient cash to purchase two.

It was decided that as part of the effort to work with the local community the second one would be given to the Pier due to the number of people that visit the attraction each year.

Senior Nursery Manager Jessica Brading said that it was an obvious choice.

“Around one million people go on the Pier every year and the nearest defibrillator is at McDonald’s,” she said.

“It is a popular venue for our parents and their youngsters, so we approached the owners to see if they were happy to join up with us on this project.

“The response was extremely positive, and we have now handed over the equipment ready to use once their staff have undergone the necessary training.

“It’s a win, win situation for both the nursery and the Pier!

Mrs Brading said the nursery was overwhelmed by the positive response to its fundraising event, particularly during the current times.

“The safety and wellbeing of the children, their families and our staff is of most importance to us, and we are so grateful for the generosity of all,” she added.

Using CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) and a defibrillator provides the best chance of survival after a cardiac arrest.

Billy Ball, managing director at the Pier, said taking on the equipment was a no-brainer.

“As soon as Jessica got in contact with us, we were delighted to be able to accept this very generous offer which will benefit so many people,” he added.

“We are keen to be able increase the safety of all of our customers and to have a defibrillator on site is a real bonus.”

Mr Ball said that it was perfect to team up with a local nursery as children are such a big part of the Pier and its effort to create happy memories for families.

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