DEFIBRILLATORS IN PUBS
I don’t want to cause undue concern but this item, which I picked up from CAMRA’s What’s Brewing daily news, makes sense to me.
After seeing customers in a pub resuscitate a heart attack victim using a defibrillator which they borrowed from a nearby shop, paramedic Jay Watling has started a campaign called Defib4All with the intention of having the life saving equipment installed in pubs. Mr Watling, who works in Ashford, Kent, said, “I have a passion for emergency medicine, especially resuscitation. I have started a company – Defib4All – that has one aim, to supply, fit and maintain as many defibrillators as possible in the UK. I have attended four cardiac arrests in or outside pubs in my five years in the ambulance service. One in particular comes to mind. A regular of this pub collapsed and went into cardiac arrest one Sunday afternoon. Next to the pub was a Tesco local which had an external defibrillator. When I arrived on the ambulance, the regulars in the pub had attached the defibrillator to the casualty’s chest, a shock had been administered and the casualty was showing signs of life. The casualty went on to make a full recovery. The survival rate of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest is around 7%. This can rise to as much as 90% if a defibrillator is attached within the first minute and 70% if used within five minutes. I believe the public house is the centre of most communities and is the ideal place for a community defibrillator.”
For more information go to www.defib4all.co.uk or e-mail defib4all@yahoo.com.
MINIMUM UNIT PRICING OF ALCOHOL
Nothing has been said recently about the introduction of minimum pricing in England but, on 4 January, it was introduced in the Republic of Ireland. The aim of the Government decision is to change dangerous patterns of alcohol behaviour, particularly amongst young drinkers who are buying cheap alcohol before they go out in what is known as pre-drinking. According to the Irish broadcaster RTE, a standard bottle of wine has a minimum price of €7.40, a can of beer €1.70 and spirits (such as 40% proof gin or vodka) €20.70. The price for whiskey is €22. At the time of writing a Euro was worth 85p. The measure is intended to apply only to off sales and should not have any effect on on-sales in pubs. Pubs and restaurants in Ireland must close at 8pm currently anyway.
Scotland and Wales have both adopted a minimum unit price of 50p. It came into effect in Scotland on 1 May 2018 and in Wales on 2 March 2020.
ROLLING OUT THE BARREL – SECOND ATTEMPT
Back in April 2020, David Holliday from Moon Gazer Ales at the Norfolk Brewhouse in Hindringham, Norfolk, had planned to push a cask of beer (on a barrow) from the brewery to the Houses of Parliament via St Bartholomew’s Hospital. This was to raise funds for the ‘It’s on the Ball’ campaign to raise awareness of testicular cancer. The 143 mile journey was expected to take some nine days, with David staying at pubs each night and hopefully having some sort of ‘do’ for the charity at each pub. As you might guess, the event had to be postponed because of Covid restrictions. Happily, the push has now been rescheduled to start on 31 March and finish at St Bart’s on 8 April. If David keeps to his original timings, he will be travelling from Chipping Ongar to Loughton on 7 April. If you are interested in seeing if pubs near to you are involved, you can see his full route and find out all about the charity here.
THE RETURN OF THE WORLD’S BIGGEST PUB QUIZ
In March, PubAid, the charity organisation based around the renowned generosity of pub customers, will be bringing its World’s Biggest Pub Quiz back to participating pubs. Understandably, the quiz was cancelled last year. This time the charity partner will be Shelter. There is another change in that, this time, the quiz will be hosted and played on the on-line quiz platform Kwizzbit.
Des O’Flanagan, the founder of PubAid, told CAMRA’s What’s Brewing website, “We’re delighted to be back after Covid forced us to cancel the quiz earlier this year. Shelter’s work with people facing homelessness has never been more important, so we’re confident there will be widespread support for the charity among pubgoers. We took the opportunity during our time out to explore ways of ways of refreshing the quiz and we’re pleased to be working with Kwizzbit, which allows licensees to host a traditional, fun pub quiz on their smartphone, with technology making it easier to run and offering features that make it more engaging for customers and drive greater footfall into the pub.” Pubs will be able to choose a different charity if they wish. Some pubs split the money they raise between PubAid’s charity and a local one. PubAid are aiming to hold the event in the week 14 to 20 March but it is possible to hold it any time during the month. For more information go here. The quiz is free and all participating pubs will receive a fundraising pack, including posters and social media assets.