A group of school pupils are almost halfway to their goal of raising £2,000 to pay for life-saving equipment for a north-east village.
Hillside Primary’s P7 class was inspired to buy a defibrillator for the community following the sudden death of 14-year-old Zaine Grieve earlier this year.
The Portlethen Academy pupil tragically died after falling ill while out with friends on Schoolhill Drive.
Some of the children’s families had also been saved by defibrillators while others had seen them used on TV.
When deciding on a charity project, the pupils came up with the idea to hold community cafes and use the cash they raised to pay for the equipment, which they hope to install at the local Co-op.
Fiona Lindsay, the class teacher, said the youngsters had risen to the challenge.
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She said: “They have been really into it since they started. They have been telling everyone why they are raising the money and why it’s important.
“An opportunity came up to apply for funding but in order to get it you have to put anything you raise back into the community.
“So I spoke to the children and asked them what they wanted to raise the money for, one of the pupils had seen an episode of Casualty where they had used a defibrillator and another girl said one had saved her gran’s life twice.
“The children also remembered Zain, who knows if a defibrillator there might have saved his life. We don’t know but we felt we were going to do something for the community.”
The pupils have organised a quiz night on November 8 from 6pm at The Ashvale in the town. Cost is £15 for adults and £10 for children, which includes a meal of the person’s choice.
And there will also be coffee morning at the Porty Cabin on Cookston Road on November 17 from 10am until noon, with tickets costing £2.50.
