COMMUNITY CHARITY RECEIVES £1,500 DONATION FROM DERBYSHIRE HOMEBUILDER

The Tom Henson Charity, which fund publicly accessible defibrillators for local communities, has received a £1,500 donation from leading homebuilders Barratt and David Wilson Homes.

The charity was founded in 2019, following the death of Tom Henson, who was just 23 years old when he died following a cardiac arrest the year prior, caused by an undiagnosed congenital heart condition. The Tom Henson Charity has provided or helped provide 21 publicly available defibrillators and a further 10 which are either with community first responder groups, or local businesses and schools.

The donation came as part of the Barratt Developments Plc Charitable Foundation, which is designed to support national and local charities, large and small, across the UK to leave a legacy in the communities in which the housebuilder operates.

Shaun O’Halloran, Treasurer and Trustee at The Tom Henson Charity and Tom’s dad, said: “It was a complete surprise when we found out about the donation as we hadn’t applied for it, and we didn’t even know it existed. Apparently, we had been put forward by a David Wilson home customer. We don’t even know who it was, but we are extremely grateful to them and Barratt and David Wilson Homes.

“Defibrillators are a vital piece of medical equipment that can make a massive difference to the chances of someone surviving a sudden cardiac arrest. Unfortunately, no defibrillator would have saved Tom but knowing three were used on him made us think. The defibrillators in our local area were few and far between, which was something we wished to rectify.

“This donation will go a long way towards funding a future installation in the Bolsover area, potentially saving lives, and for that we would like to offer our most sincere thank you to Barratt and David Wilson Homes. To make donations on such a regular basis is incredible. Donations like this one mean the world to small charities such as ours.”

Barratt and David Wilson Homes are currently building near the charity in Chesterfield at The Spires and Bluebell Meadows in Inkersall.

Gary Chambers, Managing Director at Barratt and David Wilson Homes Sheffield, said: “As a leading homebuilder we strive to support the communities in and around the areas in which we build, and we are delighted to be able to offer The Tom Henson Charity a donation to support the fantastic work it does.

“Losing a child so tragically young is one of the most harrowing things someone can go through, but to see Tom’s parents strive for change in their son’s name is truly heart-warming to see.”

To find out more about the work the Tom Hanson Charity does, visit https://www.thetomhensoncharity.org.uk/.

For more information on Barratt and David Wilson Homes, please visit https://www.barratthomes.co.uk/ or www.dwh.co.uk.