Staff from Stratford Waitrose to fundraise for a defibrillator in memory of colleague
THE sad loss of a colleague from a sudden cardiac arrest just before Christmas has motivated Waitrose staff in Stratford to raise money for a defibrillator.
Alison Hemming was 57 when she died on 17th December following a cardiac arrest while shopping at the Co-op in Honeybourne, despite efforts of staff, friends and air ambulance medics to save her. The loss shocked Alison’s colleagues at Waitrose, who affectionately referred to her as ‘our Alison’. They have pledged to raise £2,500 to buy a defibrillator for the store and to support the nature and outdoor pursuits that Alison loved to get involved with.
“Alison was pure joy. An incredibly popular partner both with employees and customers alike,” said Kate Berg, Waitrose duty manager. “Alison worked primarily on the checkouts where customers would actively seek her out due to her joie de vivre, effusive manner and fabulous comedic timing; there was always laughter at Alison’s till.
“When Alison wasn’t in work she enjoyed communing with nature, walking and exploring other countries with family and friends.
“People were naturally drawn to Alison due to her positivity and warmth, therefore her loss was felt even more acutely by the regular customers who to this day continue to share anecdotes and stories of Alison when doing their weekly shop.”
Kate and her colleagues are determined to do something special in memory of Alison, including raising awareness.
There are around 60,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest incidents in the UK each year, but the survival rate is still low.
“With this in mind, we believe that it is all the more important to have a defibrillator on site,” said Kate. “We will be embarking upon a range of activities to raise sufficient funds to purchase our own defibrillator in memory of Alison.”
She added: “Despite having a defibrillator located at the nearby Rosebird Community Centre, I believe that the valuable seconds and minutes lost in retrieving it make a huge difference to a person’s outcome.
“After undertaking some initial research with the Community Heartbeat Trust, I realised that we would need to raise approximately £2,500 to cover the cost of the defibrillator and external housing cabinet.”
Kate has set up a Just Giving page, which raised over £534. This page was then replaced with a Crowd Funding page which has secured over £200 in donations while another £200 was added by a Valentine’s bake sale, and there are more events planned.
“We are hoping to raise some serious money at our pub quiz and raffle night on 26th March at the Old Thatch Tavern in Stratford. I have been very fortunate in securing raffle prizes from a number of Stratford businesses who have been only too happy to offer vouchers and homeware items – all of which have been very gratefully received. Other future fundraising events and activities include securing sponsorship to complete some of Alison’s favourite local walks, holding an auction of promises, and further bake sales,” Kate said.
To make a contribution, visit https://tinyurl.com/bddn8dje. Raffle contributions can be dropped off at the welcome desk in Stratford Waitrose.
