Duncanrig Secondary has installed a defibrillator thanks to funding from local company Highlander International Recycling.

Head teacher Annette Alexander said: “At the start of the 2022/23 school year, our S6 School Captains made a pledge to our school community that they would look to secure a defibrillator. This a is a vital resource in a building with more than 2000 young people and staff.

“The Captains and Mrs Finnigan, Acting Depute Head, set to work and spent time researching options and contacting charities to seek support."

Although the process involved in gaining a defibrillator took the project into the next school year, it was taken on with the same dedication by the current School Captains, who have chosen to promote First Aid across the Duncanrig community.

Mrs Alexander added: “One of our core values at the school is community and we are proud to work together to improve the quality of life for everyone. It was fitting, then, that one of our business partners, Highlander International Recycling stepped in to offer full funding for the purchase of a defibrillator, and we are grateful to them for their generosity in enabling us to install this vital equipment.”

The defibrillator now sits in the school office after the funding from the East Kilbride business – which is Scotland’s largest independent paper recycling company – allowed the school to press ahead with purchasing it.

Highlander International’s CEO, Brian Bingham, said: “It gives me great pride for our company to be given the opportunity to give back to the community. This small contribution could go a long way towards making a large contribution to the welfare of someone less fortunate.

“We all hope that the defibrillator will never be used, but it’s better to be prepared for the worst. Well done to all involved.”

The installation of the defibrillator is part of a healthy outlook by the school as it looks develop the First Aid skills of its pupils. A First Aid qualification is already offered to S6 pupils, and plans are being laid to deliver it across the school in the longer term.

Mrs Alexander said: “Utilising the First Aid trainer skills of one of our chemistry teachers, Pamela Walls, and working in partnership with South Lanarkshire Leisure, we are delighted to have gained approval to deliver First Aid at Work, level 6. This now means we will be able to offer our young people the opportunity to achieve an accredited First Aid qualification and learn key life-saving skills.

“This focus on these vital skills is greatly important to us, and the defibrillator is a key part of that, and so we are hugely grateful to Highlander International for their extremely generous support.”