Janitor raises money for defibrillator

Eric Ross (63), from Linlithgow, along with his daughter Lynn Barrett and her friend Linsey Reid fundraised to buy a defibrillator for Grange Primary School in Bo’ness.

Eric, who was given an MBE in 2004 for services to the school, fell ill during a holiday in Aberdeen last August and needed quadruple bypass heart surgery.

He raised money through quiz nights to buy a £500 defibrillator for Grange Primary and gave £750 to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary’s cardiac research department.

His daughter Lynn and Linsey raised £600 for the British Heart Foundation doing the Loony Dook.

Eric’s grandchildren Grace and Ruby Barrett – pupils at the school – handed over the cheque to BHF.

Eric said: “When they told me I was going to need a bypass it took the wind out of my sails. But I thought, ‘I’ve got to give something back’, and would like to thank everyone who helped out.”

A defibrillator can restart the heart during a cardiac arrest. Grange Primary is the seventh primary school in the Falkirk Council area to install the equipment with a further three secondary schools with plans to have them.

Rosalind Veneroni, head teacher at Grange Primary and Blackness, said: “We’re delighted Eric has made a full recovery from his quadruple bypass surgery.

“We were all really happy to join in the efforts of fundraising to purchase the defibrillator.”