Buxted Football Club fundraising to repair defibrillator kit

Buxted FC were victims of vandalism on Sunday evening when their defibrillator kit was stamped on and then stolen. The incident was caught on CCTV.

They have received a new one from the South East Coast Ambulance Service and despite it being on loan to the club, the service has said Buxted FC could have it "as long as it is needed".

Another offer of help came from the Justin Edinburgh 3 Foundation, which was set up after the death of the Leyton Orient manager following a cardiac arrest in 2019.

The club have since set up a GoFundMe page to help repair or replace the wall box that the kit is placed inside. The fundraiser has already raised over £1,400 and it is hoped to reach its target of £3,000.

The South East Coast Ambulance Service have loaned Buxted FC a defibrillator kit after theirs was smashed by vandals

They are also planning to run a series of public training sessions to highlight the importance of the life-saving devices and how to use them safely.

The club also wants to train people to do CPR properly - an emergency procedure to manually preserve intact brain function.

The incident that destroyed Buxted FC's original defibrillator kit happened after Danish footballer Christian Eriksen collapsed during his country's game against Finland in Copenhagen, Denmark, during the 2020 Euros.

• READ MORE: Buxted FC get new defibrillator kit that could save lives

The former Tottenham Hotspur star was given prolonged medical treatment on the pitch after suffering a cardiac arrest before being taken to hospital, where he is now awake and recovering.

The game did resume after a break, and Finland won the match 1-0.

Since the incident, the Sussex Police have confirmed that a 17-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage.

The police also put a message out asking people not to post speculative comments due to the video of the incident being online.