A DEFIBRILLATOR has been unveiled at a Shirley pub, thanks to a huge community fundraising effort. 

The Mayor of Southampton, Cllr Jacqui Rayment, cut the ribbon to unveil the life-saving equipment at The Brass Monkey on Shirley Road. 

Regulars at the pub have been raising money for this for over a year by running raffles and charity nights. Customers have been incredibly generous, particularly Michael Chapple who passed away in January. He was a dear friend to many in and around Southampton and was always willing to help with fundraising at The Brass Monkey, so the defibrillator was opened in his honour. 

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Locals raised over £2000, which went towards the cost of the external cabinet, its installation and extra equipment such as gloves, masks and pads. The defibrillator itself was generously donated by two local businesses, PWM Electrical Mechanical and LMR Building Services.

Laura Keenan, who runs the pub, told the Daily Echo: "We pride ourselves on being a pub at the heart of our community and are very proud that we have been able to procure this for our area to use in the event of an emergency."

And the fundraising hasn’t stopped there. On Saturday November 19, The Brass Monkey is hosting a charity race night in association with QK Southampton FC, with proceeds going towards Autism Awareness, a charity close to the hearts of some of its customers.

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"Our mission is to raise over £2000," added Laura. "If we achieve this, one of our customers has agreed to shave off his very impressive beard!"

This friendly Southampton pub thrives on football and fundraising.

Up to 320 football fans will be welcomed to the pub for each and every World Cup match once the tournament in Qatar gets underway later this month.

Aside from charity events we offer great value and service to our customers and host weekly events and entertainment to suit everyone’s different interests.

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We have live sport on throughout the week, host bingo every Thursday at 2pm, Karaoke every Friday and have a DJ every Saturday.

We are very much looking forward to the upcoming World Cup and will be showing every game live throughout the tournament.

Part of the pub's ethos is to help local causes and there have previously been a number of fundraisers including race nights and raffles for Breast Cancer Now and The Alzheimers Society. Locals enjoyed chipping in to see one regular, Onky, have his beard dyed in bright, glittery colours in aid of a prostate cancer charity.

 

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