We're raising money to buy a defibrillator for the local community and offering you the chance to win a private dining experience for sixteen people in our River House venue (or a day's corporate hospitality in the same venue*).

Over 30,000 cardiac arrests happen each year in the UK outside of hospitals. Once in cardiac arrest, a person requires immediate CPR to stay alive and their only chance of survival is if their heart can be shocked back into a normal rhythm. This requires professional medical attention and the use of a defibrillator.

Sadly, still less than 1 in 10 victims of a cardiac arrest outside of hospital survive. A person’s chance of survival often depends upon how soon they receive emergency treatment; for every minute a person is in cardiac arrest, their chance of survival decreases by 10%. So unfortunately, waiting for an ambulance, particularly if you happen to be in a remote location, might take too long.

Thankfully, along with early CPR, an AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) can significantly improve someone’s chances of surviving a cardiac arrest. An AED is a compact and portable defibrillator, which can be used by anyone to try give an electric shock to somebody suffering a cardiac arrest, to try to restore a normal heart rhythm.

We want to raise the money to purchase an AED so that we have one at The Cartford Inn in case of such an emergency. We also want to make sure that the local community has access to it, so we want to raise additional funds to purchase a box so that we can mount it on an external wall. In total, we anticipate we will need to raise nearly £2,000 if we purchase one through the Cardiac Smart initiative with the North West Ambulance Service, so we're aiming to raise this amount and any funds left over will be donated to The British Heart Foundation.

To enter the competition, simply make a £10 donation and be sure to leave your email address.

*terms and conditions apply.