THE FUND-RAISING campaign launched by ten-year-old Emily Faulkner to pay for every school in Bromsgrove to have a defibrillator has gone from strength to strength in the last few weeks.
And Emily has now collected £3,240 which means she can pay for three defibrillators already and is well on the way to getting her fourth.
She has also extended her range of ‘Every Heart Matters’ clothing to include caps, childs and adults long sleeved t-shirts and adults’ hoodies.
We reported in June how Emily had launched Every Heart Matters campaign and had started designing her own clothing range to sell with the help of her grandad and aunt, Colin and Gail Fry, who run Bromsgrove printing firm Focal Image.
The campaign was launched after the youngster was inspired by the story of Rob and Maggie Underwood who set up Charlotte and Craig’s Saving Hearts Foundation in memory of their daughter and son. Charlotte and Craig both passed away because of heart conditions and since then the couple have been raising awareness of the importance of having defibrillators in the community and collecting funds for them.
Emily has also produced three videos on her Facebook page showing people how to carry out CPR and use a defibrillator on a baby, young child and adult.
Gail said: “She wants to show people how easy it is in the hope it would encourage more people to get involved.”
Emily was invited to the Queens Head Pub in Stoke Pound on July 27 by Joe Stafford from the band the Wedding Crashers. There she was able to promote her cause and do some collecting, raising an amazing £262 on the night.
And the Every Heart Matters drive has received some generous donations from local businesses, including £100 from Westbridge Group Building and Roofing, £50 from Broad Street DIY and £500 from Barnett Waddingham.
Gail added: “She is looking forward to doing more events.
“If anyone has any ideas or events coming up please message and we will see what we can do.
“Also any business donations are very much appreciated.
“Emily is happy to collect and have photos taken.”
To donate to the cause visit localgiving.org/fundraising/everyheartmattersx or search for ‘Every Heart Matters by Emily Faulkner’ on Facebook for more on the campaign.
