Defibrillator installed at Men's Shed in Offaly thanks to local family

A DEFIBRILLATOR has been installed at Tullamore Men's Shed thanks to fund-raising by the Prendergast family.

The local family were spurred into action after their father, Tommy Prendergast, an enthusiastic member of the Men's Shed, became seriously ill at the Church Road premises recently.

A Gofund page was set up by the family and thanks to generous donations by the general public their dream of having a defibrillator at the Men's Shed became a reality.

The new defibrillator was officially opened at an informal ceremony at the Men's Shed late last month.

Speaking at the event, Tom Finnerty, one of the pioneers of the Men's Shed movement in Offaly, said the defibrillator was a great addition to the club.

“It's now up and running and hopefully it will save some lives in the future,” said Mr Finnerty thanking the Prendergast family and all who donated to the fund-raising process.

He also recalled the late John Hoey who died suddenly from heart failure in the Men's Shed premises.

Members of the Men's Shed received training on the use of the new defibrillator.

At the official opening a bouquet of flowers was presented to Lorraine Wynne of the Midland Drama Club who came to Mr Prendergast's aid when he became ill.

The Men's Shed's door is always opens to new members and people can pop down to their headquarters in the old Charleville School, entry via a gateway on Church Road, or contact Tom Finnerty at 087 7426297.