Last week the team from Leon’s Legacy donated a defibrillator to Ilkeston Town FC/Juniors.
Leon’s Legacy is a family-run charity based in Nottingham, raising money to put defibrillators in schools across the United Kingdom.
It was created in memory of Leon Smith, who suffered a fatal cardiac arrest in January 2019 at the school where he worked. Since then, the charity has placed over 40 defibrillators in schools across England and taught over 400 people CPR.
However, since Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest during the European Championships, Leon’s Legacy have been providing defibrillators to local sports teams and clubs.
In May this year, Leon’s dad Neil Smith sadly passed away. Neil was a trustee of the charity and was involved in all aspects of fundraising.
In his memory, a defibrillator has been donated to Ilkeston Town Football Club as well as several schools.
Head of Football Mark Clifford said: “In a week which saw young West Bridgford player Dylan Rich lose his life playing the sport he loves, it makes you realise that whilst football seems like life or death when that whistle goes, it’s actually just a game that we all love so much, and certainly not life or death!
“We have ensured that the safety of all of our teams is paramount, the first team has a defibrillator as part of its matchday equipment, it travels with us home and away to ensure we can react quickly if called upon.
“The club has one secured on site so that again, if needed, anyone using our facility has the best chance of survival should the worst happen.”
You can follow Leon’s Legacy on Twitter – https://twitter.com/legacy_leon
You can follow Leon’s Legacy on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/LeonsLegacyDefibs/