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PUPILS at a Strabane school have raised money to install a life-saving defibrillator outside their school gates.
The students at Strabane Academy scooped the JD Foundation Community Impact Award in The King’s Trust and TK Maxx Awards during a recent ceremony held at Hillsborough Castle and Gardens .
The awards celebrate young people who have succeeded against the odds, improved their opportunities in life and made a positive contribution to their local communities.
Members of Strabane Academy’s Enterprise Challenge team received the award in recognition of their efforts to raise funds for a community-accessible Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
Seven students, all aged 15, undertook the project as part of the Enterprise Challenge – a free inter-school competition for pupils aged 11–16 designed to inspire young entrepreneurs. Delivered in classrooms by King’s Trust staff and volunteers, participants complete a series of challenges before working alongside a mentor to develop and present a business pitch.
The pupils chose the initiative after identifying a lack of publicly accessible lifesaving equipment in the area, particularly outside school hours when local sports facilities remain in use.
The project also held deep personal significance for the group, with two members having lost their fathers at a young age, including one to sudden cardiac arrest.
Sarah-Jane, who lost her Dad to cardiac arrest in her early teens, said, “The project carried some difficult memories for me but feeling the support of the team around me helped me turn my grief into purpose. I don’t mind speaking about what my family went through if it means I can help others.”
Enterprise Challenge member Harry added, “We realised the AEDs inside our school weren’t accessible outside of school hours when our school community and local people use the sports facilities. We wanted to make sure that life-saving equipment was at the heart of our community.
“We had fun coming up with ideas to get everyone in the school involved in fundraising and we encouraged all the students to take part. We organised CPR training, a cake sale, activities at breaktimes and a sponsored walk on ‘Restart a Heart Day’. We also produced ‘chain of survival’ keyrings to raise awareness. We raised over £3,380 which is amazing.”
The pupils are now determined to continue building what they describe as a ‘Community of Lifesavers,’ with plans to run further awareness campaigns within the school, ensure ongoing maintenance of the AED and pass on vital skills to younger pupils.
The team also hopes to expand future projects to raise awareness around issues including allergies and mental health.
