A NEW community defibrillator dedicated to the 'King of Chips' Harry Ramsden has been installed outside a restaurant in Guiseley.
Brian Firth, founder of Public Access Defibrillators UK, said: "We have just gone live with a new CPAD cabinet at the Wetherby Whaler in Guiseley which has been dedicated to Harry Ramsden, the 'King of Fish and Chips'."
The defibrillator is fixed on the exterior of the Wetherby Whaler, on Otley Road, Guiseley, which was Harry Ramsden's until May 2012.
Harry Ramsden, who originally opened the fish restaurant in 1928 in a white hut next to the current restaurant in White Cross, Guiseley, had one of his family members attend the defibrillator dedication.
Harry's granddaughter Sally Baxter and her husband Ciaran came over from Southern Ireland for the presentation of the defibrillator cabinet and also brought with them Harry's straw boater hat which they have given to the Wetherby Whaler on a long-term loan basis.
The owners of the Wetherby Whaler are having a display cabinet made so that it can be on permanent show.
Although the Wetherby Whaler is very popular with a number of its own fish and chip restaurants, they are determined to retain the character and history of Harry Ramsden's involvement as the King of Fish and Chips.
Mr Firth said: "I had the pleasure of having a fish and chip meal with Sally, Ciaran and Janine Murphy, who is the owner of the Wetherby Whaler chain of restaurants, and I must say that if Harry is the King of Fish and Chips and Janine is definitely the Queen of Fish and Chips."
The award-winning Public Access Defibrillators UK, incorporating the Global CPAD Campaign, was launched in 2013 by Mr Firth following the death of a customer in Morrisons car park in Guiseley.
It is now the largest independent CPAD Campaign in Yorkshire.
The initial objective was to raise funds for one CPAD (community public access defibrillator) to be installed on the outside wall of Guiseley Morrisons.
However, the campaign has exceeded all expectations, now having in excess of 170 CPADs of its own installed around the North of England which have saved 11 lives since 2013.
Additionally, hundreds of additional defibrillators have been installed in conjunction with the campaign.
Many of these are now installed at Morrisons supermarkets throughout the UK, with Morrisons then going on to purchase just under 500 defibrillators now available in-store. Their defibrillators alone have saved 41 lives.
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