Andrew Sulston (back row left), Councillor Scott Emery (back right), members of the Highgate Society, and electrician Patrick Thompson (far right) who fitted the defibrillator.

A VITAL new defibrillator has been unveiled in Highgate after a fundraising drive, writes Caitlin Maskell.

The Highgate Society is leading the way in bringing the lifesaving kits to the area and placed one at the Highgate Group Practice at the junction of Church Road and North Hill last Wednesday.

It was paid for by community donations and help from local businesses, including N6 Zumba.

There was match funding from the Department of Health and Social Care. Haringey councillor Scott Emery said the defibrillator will “save lives,” as he cut the ribbon, adding: “I am very happy to see this opening in Highgate and now we’ve got such good coverage across the ward. They save lives, and having them in locations with quick access is so important.”

Andrew Sulston, chair of the Highgate Society, said it has also been running training with the London Ambulance Service so people know how and when to use a defibrillator.

He said: “The Highgate Society’s aim is to make Highgate a better place to live and work. Our 1,300 members all joined for that reason and our 175 active volunteers are all motivated by this. These kinds of public benefits are what we aim to do.”

Mr Sulston added: “We now have three defibrillators in the Highgate area with volunteers from the society who check them every week as we believe they are really impor­tant front-line support for the community.”