Rothesay nursery at the heart of the community

The manager at Apple Tree Nursery in Rothesay recently walked 24 miles to raise enough money for a life-saving defibrillator machine.

Apple Tree Nursery, from left to right Alison McCormack, Fiona Reynolds and Lesley-Anne Lee.

Lesley-Anne Lee decided to do the Kiltwalk to buy the equipment because one of the nursery’s pupils has Hyper Plastic Left Heart Syndrome.

And she actually raised enough money to not only make the defibrillator available to the nursery but also accessible to the public by purchasing a heated box to protect it outside from the cold.

The manager of the MacKinlay Street nursery is delighted to now have the Zoll AED 3 defibrillator along with the outdoor casing.

She said: “The staff are all trained on it. All 17 of them.

“We received the defibrillator about three weeks ago and we now have the outside box so it is accessible to the public. The community has now got access to it 24/7.

“That’s hugely important, as the community supported us on this fundraiser and we are a community nursery.

“We have a child who has a heart condition so this would obviously benefit him. And through the training we so know how vital it is.

“Rothesay seems to be lacking in public defib machines.”

Lesley-Anne was joined on the charity walk by friends Alison McCormack and Fiona Reynolds.

She added: “The Kiltwalk was amazing. It took us seven hours to do the 24 miles, with no injuries. So it was a great success.

“I have to say a massive thank you to everybody that helped us. It paid for the defibrillator and the box, which is vital, as it has to be heated at a certain temperature.

“The defib and the box cost £1,800. We raised £2,200, with the extra cash used for the training.”