Phil French:
This all started three years ago, when I was walking down Fore Street and two young lads came running past me from the cricket ground asking “where’s your defibrillator”, and I didn’t know.

So I spoke to Sam, and the defibrillator that we actually already had was moved to the Old Court House and around 40 people were given a  familiarisation session in it’s use.

By now, I was looking at the deployment arrangements for the defibrillator and concluded that Chulmleigh needed something above and beyond a public defibrillator. My research showed that what we really needed was a “first response” capability.

So Sam & I, joined by the other trustees Peter, Ian & Ron on the way set off on the journey that brings us all here today. On that journey we were fully supported by you our community.

Left to Right: Jon Chalk DSFR, Rev Adrian Wells, Ron Pigott DART Trustee, Phil French DART Chairman, Heather Strawbridge Chairman SWASFT, Brian Greenslade Deputy Chairman DSFA, Sir Nick Harvey DART Patron, Peter Heaton-Jones MP, Eileen Dolling  & Sam Moyse DART Deputy Chairman.

So now really it just remains for me to give my thanks: 

First of all, to our patron Sir Nick Harvey, to Brian Greenslade, Jon Chalk, Heather Strawbridge, Peter Heaton-Jones and the Reverend Adrian Wells. Thank you for making the time to come here and support us.

Secondly, my thanks to you all. Practically everyone in this room, and there are about a 100 of us, has done something to make this possible, so thank you all.Please don’t stop.

Next; my special thanks today, has to go to the ladies who are helping in the kitchen in order to feed us, & the gents who set everything up. Now, we should all thank The Old Court House and The Red Lion who funded and organised this event. Quite simply outstanding.

Finally, all our thanks must go to our fire-fighters; without their willingness to do this work we would not and could not be celebrating the launch of this service today.

So on behalf of the trustees; thank you all for your faith in us; your trust over the past two years,  and for your continued support. 

Before I let you all go and have your lunch; please don’t forget that we, that is,  Chulmleigh,  need to put up a night-landing floodlight tower for Devon Air Ambulance.

So let’s all do what we can to make that happen as well;      then Chulmleigh will be an even safer place to live.

Thank you ~ every one of you.