Four defibrillators installed in memory of Beverley man

LIFE-SAVERS: The four defibrillators situated in Beverley

By Rick Lyon, Co-Editor

Family and friends of a popular teacher who died suddenly have installed four life-saving defibrillators in the town where he lived.

Beverley resident Keith Wood died unexpectedly from heart-related problems on December 25, 2022, aged 68.

Eleven of his family and friends organised and completed a 51-mile walk from York Minster to Beverley Minster over three days in September 2023, along the Minster Way, raising over £10,000.

More than £7,000 was spent on four defibrillators and their cabinets, which have now been installed at The Angel and Lord Nelson pubs, the Dog and Duck Coaching Inn and New House care home in Beverley.

All of the equipment can be accessed by members of the public who call 999 around the clock and all have been registered on a central defibrillator database where a code for each cabinet will be provided for access when required.

LOVED: Keith Wood

The walking team will maintain the Angel and Lord Nelson defibrillators, the New House team will manage theirs and Beverley and District Motor Club will maintain the Dog and Duck equipment.

Keith’s daughter Katy Wood, 39, from Beverley, said: “We initially hoped to raise enough money to buy one defibrillator in memory of dad but we’ve managed to fund four while also supporting other worthy causes with donations.

“Devastatingly, it was too late for a defibrillator to save dad but these pieces of life-saving equipment are there to save the lives of others in the future if needed.

“This has been an incredible team effort and I’m so proud of everyone involved. We’ve received brilliant support and we can’t thank everyone enough for helping us to reach this point.

“It’s a fantastic legacy in memory of dad and something to be really proud of.”

SUPPORT CREW. Keith's wife Teresa and family friend Don Watson

The Angel and Lord Nelson defibrillators have been in place since December 2023 and have collectively been deployed more than 20 times but were, thankfully, not needed. The New House and Dog and Duck defibrillators are the most recent additions after the locations were confirmed.

The team also donated £1,000 to Pancreatic Cancer UK in memory of Keith’s sister, Ann, who died in August 2023, and £1,000 to the Daniel Wilkinson Foundation.

A further £500 was donated to Hessle Community Centre towards fundraising for their new minibus after the group donated their existing minibus to the team as a support vehicle for two days of the walk.

The remainder of the money, and more than £3,000 raised through a charity event in December last year, will be used for required ongoing maintenance of the Angel and Lord Nelson defibrillators and replacement pads for the equipment once used.

The Beverley Dynamites Lifestyle team, a group of young girls from the town, also donated £276 to the maintenance fund after raising money to purchase a defibrillator for Skidby Playing Fields in East Yorkshire last year.

LEGACY: The team at Beverley Minster

Day one of the walk covered more than 22 miles from York Minster to Bishop Wilton, day two saw the team walk 13 miles from Bishop Wilton to North Dalton, and day three was a 16-mile walk from North Dalton to Beverley Minster.

Keith’s son, Mark, and his fiancée, Jess Moxon, were also part of the walking team, along with several more of Keith’s close family and friends – Trevor Daniel, Karen Scales, Stuart Hall, Kellymarie St Paul, Stuart Gray and Jordan Hebblethwaite. Keith’s wife, Teresa and family friend Don Watson were the support crew.

Three more friends, Emma and Pete Waudby, and Steven Wingfield, joined the team on the last leg from North Dalton to Beverley Minster.

Two of the walkers, Stuart and Stuart, are first aid instructors and carried out a first aid, CPR and choking demonstration for staff at The Star Inn at North Dalton, as well as local residents, to give back to the local community where the team stayed on the second night of the walk.

Teresa, 63, said: “We’re really grateful to the staff at all four defibrillator locations and to Beverley and District Motor Club and the staff New House for agreeing to maintain two of them.

“This is a remarkable achievement for the team and Keith would have been so proud of everyone involved.”