A lab assistant at the Cheltenham Specsavers practice has launched a fundraising campaign for a defibrillator for the community.
James Tombs’ campaign Hampers for Hearts aimed to raise £1,800 to purchase the device, which will be placed outside the practice on the high street. So far, he has raised £700 by selling raffle tickets for a hamper containing prizes donated by local businesses and customers.
Tombs said: ‘I’m so grateful for the support so far with the Hampers for Hearts campaign – thanks to everyone who has been so keen to help. The next hamper we’ll be working on will be for Mother’s Day, with more coming throughout the year.’
Tombs has a learning disability and joined the practice in 2017 as part of the Going the Extra Mile Project, which helps people having difficulties in life find work.
Retail director Melanie Brackstone said: ‘Because he couldn’t read, he couldn’t recognise the right cases for the designer glasses. Now he’s taking part in social media and writing posts to promote his fundraising campaign. He is a massive asset.’
