Danny's legacy may be a real life-saver

A new piece of life-saving equipment has been installed in Fleetwood town centre thanks to the generous legacy of a former resident of the town.
Fleetwood Rotarians Kris Butler,  Maurice Dowsing (president) and Richard Newson (also chairman of ther Fielden Trust) attend the official presentation of a new public defibrillator, with cafe/bokshop boss Alli Thompson.Fleetwood Rotarians Kris Butler,  Maurice Dowsing (president) and Richard Newson (also chairman of ther Fielden Trust) attend the official presentation of a new public defibrillator, with cafe/bokshop boss Alli Thompson.
Fleetwood Rotarians Kris Butler, Maurice Dowsing (president) and Richard Newson (also chairman of ther Fielden Trust) attend the official presentation of a new public defibrillator, with cafe/bokshop boss Alli Thompson.

Fleetwood now has a public defibrillator thanks to former Fleetwood Rotarian, Danny O’Neill.

Danny, who died suddenly from a heart attack last September, at the age of 71, was born in Fleetwood and was a well respected figure in the town.

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He was a past president of the Fleetwood Rotary Club, chairman of charity Fielden Trust and one of the instigators in the formation of the town’s pocket park, a small oasis of greenery off North Albert Street, in the town centre. Fittingly, the equipment is based in the park.

The late Danny O'NeillThe late Danny O'Neill
The late Danny O'Neill

Some £1,750 was made available from Danny’s legacy to fund the defibrillator project.

Gordon Oates, secretary of Fleetwood Rotary Club, said: “The defibrillator is a fitting memorial to Danny who wanted the proceeds from his estate to be used for the good of Fleetwood’s community.

“Some 30,000 people have a cardiac arrest each year outside the confines of a hospital, and a person’s survival chance falls by about 10% for each minute without defibrillation - so this is a valuable contribution to the people of Fleetwood.”

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Members of Danny’s family, Rotary members and friends attended the dedication ceremony in the park, where a commemorative plaque to Danny was also installed.

The late Danny O'NeillThe late Danny O'Neill
The late Danny O'Neill

Gordon said the family wanted to thank friends who kindly gave their time, as well as Kris Butler for the free electrical installation, Paul Connor who prepared the area, Jim Pilling for providing the memorial sign, and bookshop/ café, owner Alli Thompson for meeting the ongoing electricity cost.