A FAMILY-run health and safety firm based in Dumfries has celebrated 25 years in the business by giving-away life saving equipment worth thousands of pounds.
For a quarter-century, Boyd Safety Supplies has been a one-stop shop for first aid kits, protective equipment and safety accessories — with their focus more recently turning to hand sanitiser, PPE and face masks, which they provided for several local organisations throughout the pandemic for free.
And to mark their silver anniversary, managing director Raymond Boyd – who runs the firm alongside his son, Dayne – has decided to give back to the community and donate state-of-the-art defibrillators to two local causes.
After running a competition which invited non-for profit groups and charities to make applications, the winners were announced this week – revealed as Summerhill Community Centre and Crichton Central’s new cafe and co-working space.
Staff from Boyd visited both on Tuesday to hand over the automated external defibrillators (AED), which are worth £1233 each.
David Sellers, office administrator for Summerhill Community Centre said it will be “invaluable in our community for many years to come”.
He added: “We truly appreciate the commitment of this local family business contributing so generously into the local area.
“When we heard about the opportunity to win a defibrillator, we spoke with our community volunteers, neighbours and group users, who all agreed the benefits for one fitted locally and we put together a letter with community support.
“We plan to have a group of volunteer facilitators trained in using this life saving equipment and we hope to locate in an easy accessible position to access if ever needed.”
Boyd Safety Group’s managing director Raymond Boyd remarked that Summerhill’s application was “by far the best” adding: “It was from the heart, if you excuse the pun.
“Their application was signed by lots of age groups. Theirs was something like five or six pages long and it sounded as if it was the ideal place – they just sounded as if they’re a big family and we’re a family businesses.
“We thought, how do you celebrate 25 years? And it was giving something back to the community and giving two back was even better.”
Emphasising the difference having AEDs dotted throughout communities can make, Raymond said: “About four or five weeks ago up at the Crichton somebody collapsed and he managed to get one of these, did CPR on them but he needed that because he wasn’t coming back. So they got him plugged into that, got the heart started and he’s absolutely fine now, he’s walking about no problem at all.”
He added they should be in “every single workplace and every single public building”.
Furthermore, the firm has offered the 31 unsuccessful applicants to the give-away a discount if they still wish to purchase one for their organisation.
