DECADES of campaigning to save lives across Helensburgh and Lomond and beyond have led to one local volunteer receiving a major national award.
Sheenah Nelson, from the Helensburgh Garelochside Rotary, received a ‘Champions of Change’ award from Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland on Wednesday.
Sheenah, a retired teacher, has campaigned for years to make the public aware of the need to take action and improve survival rates following heart attacks and cardiac arrests.
She is the local Rotary club’s Heartstart volunteer co-ordinator, and regularly visits community groups across the area to train members of the public in vital cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) techniques.
Sheenah has also been the driving force behind the fund-raising efforts for, and the installation of, 200 community defibrillators across Helensburgh, Lomond and West Dunbartonshire – and in training the public in how to use the equipment to help someone who has suffered a cardiac arrest.
She is also playing a central role in the club’s Save Our Hearts campaign, launched in May, which is aiming to raise enough money for five new defibrillators to plug gaps in the network across Helensburgh and Lomond by the end of this year.
READ MORE: Helensburgh public urged to back campaign for new life-saving defibrillators
The award was actually announced in March 2020 – but the news came just days before the entire country was locked down as the scale of the Covid-19 crisis became clear, forcing the organisers to put their plans on hold.
With typical modesty Sheenah insisted that the presentation of her award this week was not about her, but about spreading the word of the importance of knowing how to save a life – and having access to the equipment people can use to help them do it.
“I am delighted to have been recognised in this way and given such a prestigious award,” she said.
“This helps highlight the role that Hearstart Helensburgh Garelochside Rotary play by engaging with the community and the importance of providing training and access to a defibrillator in order to save lives in our community.
“Unfortunately during the coronavirus pandemic my team and I have been unable to offer face-to-face training, but we continue to offer help and advice.
“During lockdown several of the defibrillators in our community have been used resulting in further lives being saved.”
Sheenah pointed to the recent incident at the Euro 2020 football championships, when Danish player Christian Eriksen collapsed during his country’s opening match of the tournament against Finland, as evidence that even young, fit and healthy people can suffer a cardiac arrest.
“The important message of dialling 999, starting CPR and getting a defibrillator to the casualty can save a life,” she said.
“His life was saved by the prompt action of a team member doing just that. The power to save a life is in your hands – use it!”
It’s estimated that 27 lives across Helensburgh, Lomond, Dumbarton and the Vale of Leven have been saved as a result of the training given by Sheenah and other members of the Heartstart team over recent years.
Sheenah, who was given a British Empire Medal in the Queen's Birthday honours in 2018 for her volunteer work, was one of 12 ‘Champions of Change’ 2020 winners who received their awards at Wednesday’s virtual ceremony – drawn from more than 1,700 Rotary clubs across the UK and Ireland.
The search for winners was carried out across a network of more than 1,700 Rotary clubs, with Rotary members and also members of the public having their extraordinary work recognised.
READ MORE: Sheenah is made a BEM for Heartstart volunteer work in honours list
The winners' achievements ranged from fitting prosthetic limbs on amputees in Pakistan to supporting adults with learning difficulties gain employment opportunities.
Tom Griffin, president of Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland, said: “The Champions Awards is about giving those who pioneer, lead and support some amazing volunteering projects the recognition they deserve.
“The selfless and truly life-changing impact of our champions really demonstrates how we can make a difference and touch people’s lives.
"There are so many heroes out there and to them I say “thank you and keep doing what you’re doing”.
“Naturally, we were saddened that Sheenah wasn’t able to receive her award last year but we are delighted to invite her to join the 2021 winners so she can receive the recognition she deserves.
“Sheenah’s work is invaluable in educating the community about responding to heart attacks and cardiac arrests. She is a very worthy recipient of one of this year’s awards.”
READ MORE: Catch up with all Helensburgh and Lomond's latest news headlines here
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