Rochdale Judo Club held an ‘Uchi-Komi-a-thon’ last Sunday to raise money for a secure cabinet for a public access defibrillator.

Speaking about the event, Club member and North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) Greater Manchester First Responder, Rod Cape said: “It was a really successful event and we are confident that we have raised the money that we need for the secure cabinet and more”.

The event was held at the club’s premises on Trafalgar Street, Rochdale and was supported by local MP Simon Danczuk and Heywood and Middleton MP Liz McInnes, who watched defibrillator and CPR demonstrations helped by some of the club’s junior members.

The event also saw junior and senior members compete to see who could do the most ‘Uchi-Komi’s’ in a set time.

Following the success of the event, the club is now looking to push ahead with plans to offer free defibrillator and CPR training to community groups, schools and businesses in Rochdale, with the backing of the NWAS and their Community Resuscitation Team.

“This is a really important skill to teach people and we hope to promote it throughout the town”, Rod added.

The defibrillator will be located outside Rochdale Judo Club premises in a secure and coded cabinet. This way, if a member of the local community rings 999 and should need the defibrillator, the ambulance service will provide the code for opening the cabinet and the caller can take the defibrillator to use on the patient.

The club is hoping to have the defibrillator in place during the first week of July.

As well as offering training to people, Rod wants to encourage more people to volunteer with the NWAS and become a first responder.

Rod added: “We are lacking volunteers at the minute so if anyone wanted to get involved, it would be a big help”.

If any clubs or judoka in the area would like to learn more about CPR and defibrillator training, contact Rochdale Judo Club on 07527 861928 / 01706 869818.