A site manager from the Fens is to complete a gruelling 47km triathlon to fund a 24/7 accessible defibrillator for a Cambridgeshire village where Lindum is building a new estate of 50 affordable houses for Accent Homemade.
Dad-of-three Justin Moore, 51, says “the nerves are kicking in” ahead of his 2km swim in the Twenty Foot River (drain), March, a 40km bike ride from March to Wimblington via Wisbech and Chatteris and a 5km run on Saturday, September 21.
Justin, who manages the Lindum site off Bell Road, Bottisham, wants to make a positive difference after the parish council told him the village does not currently have a 24/7 public access defibrillator.
He said: “As site manager, I’ve been in constant contact with the parish council to provide updates on our project and to listen to and respond to any concerns.
“I was told defibrillators in the village medical centre and schools are only available during opening hours, so I wanted to do something to change that.
“It has been agreed that a defibrillator can be fixed to a wall outside of the pharmacy in the High Street, so it is always available for public use.
“Lindum is a big machine. We’ve turned up in Bottisham to build houses and it’s only right that we leave a positive legacy.”
Justin, who is married to Zoe and lives in March, said his body weight has gone from 110kg to 89kg since he began training for the triathlon back in February.
He said: “I’ve been running and weightlifting six days a week and swimming in the river or my local pool every fortnight.
“I have not managed to swim 2km in one go yet! The nerves are kicking in.”
Sam Chambers-Turner, clerk to Bottisham parish council, said: “The British Heart Foundation says that to be effective, a defibrillator must be accessed within three minutes of an emergency.
“Having a defibrillator outside the pharmacy means it can be accessed whenever it is needed.
“We are extremely grateful to Justin and Lindum for considering this.”
Mrs Chambers-Turner added that the development off Bell Road is bringing much needed affordable home to the village.
She said: “We are really grateful for Justin and his team in how they have dealt with any issues and always kept us in the loop. The communication is excellent and our experience with Lindum is very positive.
“Having been looking to improve play facilities in the village for some time, it’s great that a dedicated play park has been delivered on this development.”
Visit https://gofund.me/701e66e6 to make a donation to Justin.
