A Dunmurry family have raised £1,540 in memory of their late husband and father who died from a suspected cardiac arrest in 2017.
Jacqui English and her children, Jamie and Beth, raised the money in memory of Tommy English by organising a charity football match, the Tommy English Cup, involving Lisburn Rangers Football Club and Lisburn Distillery Over 35s in November.
The match was held at Lisburn Rangers’ ground, Stanley Park, where Tommy was a stalwart member in and was well supported by the local community.
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Each year, there are around 1,400 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Northern Ireland and sadly less than one in ten people survive.
Every minute without cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and defibrillation reduces the chances of survival by up to ten per cent. Early CPR and defibrillation can more than double the chances of survival in some cases.
Following Tommy’s death, his family have been involved in numerous fundraising activities for the British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland.
Through their latest fundraising initiative, the family purchased a defibrillator which will be installed at Stanley Park to help save lives in the event of an emergency.
Jacqui English said: “We want to thank everyone who helped us raise money for this good cause and to remember my husband Tommy at his beloved Lisburn Rangers.
“We’re proud to support the British Heart Foundation and it’s work in helping to save lives through its research.
“We’re particularly delighted there will now be a defibrillator in place at Stanley Park and hope that it will help save lives in the future.”
Head of British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland, Fearghal McKinney added: “I thank the English family, Jacqui and her children, Jamie and Beth, and everyone at Lisburn Rangers for their fantastic fundraising efforts and for their continued support for the British Heart Foundation in Northern Ireland.
“We are truly grateful and privileged for their ongoing support.
“Their fundraising efforts help support the lifesaving research carried out by the British Heart Foundation which will help save lives.”
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