Crown Paints answers the call to help rural communities

Crown Paints has helped to breathe new life into hundreds of rural phone boxes, as part of a nationwide scheme to provide local communities with access to vital emergency medical equipment.

As part of the ‘Minutes Matter’ scheme launched by BT and the Community HeartBeat Trust, life-saving defibrillators have been installed in local phone boxes, which were first refurbished with free paint donated by members of the British Coatings Federation (BCF). 

To date, Crown has supplied undercoat and red paint via its nationwide network of Crown Decorating Centres to renovate 130 phone boxes, which have each been equipped with a defibrillator, to provide urgent treatment following a cardiac arrest.

This equates to almost a quarter of all paint donations made under the Minutes Matter scheme so far.

As the chances of survival reduce every minute following a cardiac arrest, the UK Resuscitation Council recommends access to a defibrillator should be available when emergency medical care is in excess of five minutes away.

The pioneering scheme was launched to renovate phone boxes in rural areas nationwide, with BCF members such as Crown Paints providing a new lick of paint and BT maintaining the electricity supply so the emergency equipment is available 24/7.

Richard Schofield, of Community HeartBeat Trust, who had the original idea behind the scheme, said: “There are thousands of phone boxes in rurallocations throughout the UK, and many of them are sitting idle. 

“Over the next five years, we’re aiming to encourage the UK’s rural communities to install a defibrillator in their local phone box, with the aim to create a national network of two and half thousand defibrillators.”

Mark Lloyd, QHSE Manager Decorative Europe at Crown Paints, commented: “We are delighted to have been able to contribute to the vital scheme and it’s wonderful that so many rural communities now have access to these much-needed medical resources.

“Phone boxes are found across the country and the iconic red paintwork is instantly recognisable. It’s wonderful that they have been repurposed for such an important cause and we’re proud that our paint products have played a role.”

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