A LIFE-SAVING machine has been donated to a borough sports club in memory of a campaigning teenager.
The defibrillator was given to the TAGB Tae Kwon Do Club in honour of Craig Prentice who passed away on December 10 from a cardiac arrest.
The 17-year-old student was dedicated to helping his parents Robert and Maggie Underwood raise money for the equipment to be installed in schools and public places across the borough.
His parents launched the Redditch Heart Safe campaign in memory of their daughter Charlotte who also lost her life to sudden arrhythmic death syndrome three years earlier. Craig was a member of the club and Tae Kwon Do was just one of his many passions.
The money for the device was raised by the 1066 MCC biking club who held a memorial rock night and bike ride.
Mr Underwood said the donation was extra special for the family.
“Not only is it the first one that has been placed in Craig’s memory but it involved three of Craig’s loves – the first being the biking community who not only helped out with his final journey but also raised the funds for the defibrillator, the second is his Tae Kwon Do club which he was very passionate about and the third is another defibrillator being installed.
“It was a great honour to hand the machine over to Matt Lennard and Master Atkins in front of Craig’s club.
“The machine will now protect club members in Redditch and Droitwich and we would like to thank everyone for their continued support as without everyone’s donations none of this would be possible.”
Matt Lennard, from the club, said they could now all train with greater comfort.
“Craig used to bring his own defibrillator into training every week and I will now get to keep this memory fresh in my mind as I have the honour of taking over this task.
“Craig’s spirit lives on strong within my school, but this has cemented it into a visual form.”
To donate to the campaign or for more information call 0779 463 7073 or 01527 524 285.
