Organisers John King, Virgil Turner, Steve Postles and Rob James standing next to the defibrillator installed on the Cobb with money raised from the previous fundraiser.

A raffle and boat jumble being held on the Cobb in Lyme Regis on 17th September will raise funds for the installation of a publicly accessible, automatic external defibrillator (AED) to be located in the vicinity of Monmouth beach. The event is organised by the local boating and fishing community in memory of fisherman Brian Marks who died of a heart attack in 2015. Previous events have raised funds for the installation of a defibrillator on the Cobb plus units in West Bay and Axmouth.

The life saving equipment allows the public to help resuscitate someone who has had a heart attack. Organiser Steve Postles commented “These defibrillators are designed for anyone to be able to use them, so it is possible to start CPR and use the equipment while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.”

The value of such equipment was demonstrated in July when a visitor to the town suffered a cardiac arrest and was resuscitated using a defibrillator on the Cobb by Lyme's Chief Fire Officer Virgil Turner. The gentleman is now fully on the road to recovery. Virgil Turner says “When a heart stops beating from cardiac arrest, every second counts. The chances of recovery are reduced by about 10% after each 60 seconds. Effective CPR coupled with the use of a defibrillator within the first few minutes of cardiac arrest can produce survival rates in the 49% - 75% range.” Virgil Turner will be demonstrating how to use a defibrillator during the fundraising event.

In a joint statement, the organisers said: “Having additional lifesaving defibrillators in Lyme and making everyone aware of it will hopefully result in saving lives in this community. We hope the residents of Lyme get behind our initiative by purchasing a raffle ticket and attending the event”.

The boat jumble gets under way at 10am on the 17th September on the Cobb where there will be a number of stalls selling a variety of boating paraphernalia, arts and crafts and other goods. A Macmillan coffee morning is being held in conjunction with the event in the Fishing College situated next to the Marine Aquarium on the Cobb. Demonstrations on how to use a defibrillator will be held at 11am and at midday with the raffle draw at 12.30pm. Thanks to the generosity of local businesses there are some great prizes on offer in the raffle including a one week stay in a holiday cottage in the North York Moors, dinner for two at the Alexandra Hotel and Restaurant, a meal at the Harbour Inn and the Royal Standard. Tickets cost £1 and are available to purchase from the Slipway store by the Cobb from the 9th September until the day of the event. Full details of the event and raffle prizes can be found on the website at www.lymeboatjumble.co.uk and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lymeboatjumble.