The staff at EUROSPAR Newcastle said goodbye to summer by brightening up their store as they dressed in striking colours for their end of summer fundraiser.

They had exciting raffles for customers and door collections to raise money to get an Automated External Defibrillator installed outside the store, which will be available for the community 24/7, 365 days of the year.

The store raised an incredible £1,500 and are currently awaiting installation of the lifesaving equipment. There are around 1,400 cardiac arrests outside of hospitals in Northern Ireland every year and having a defibrillator outside the store can save lives with 24/7 access to these devices.

The Henderson Group, owners of the EUROSPAR franchise in Northern Ireland, have installed 254 defibrillators outside SPAR, EUROSPAR and ViVO branded stores across the country, with each device registered with the NI Ambulance Service and The Circuit. This is the largest network of public access external devices in Northern Ireland and has saved 15 lives to date.

Lisa McKee, EUROSPAR Newcastle Store Manager commented, “It will be amazing to have the defibrillator onsite at our store, all thanks to our great team and generous customers for fundraising for this lifesaving equipment.”

To find out more, including the location of your community defibrillator, visit www.spar-ni.co.uk/heart-of-our-community.