After a busy trading period, a bustling summer and an eye on autumn, the team behind some of Liverpool’s most successful bar and kitchen venues is set to introduce a major investment in local community health and wellbeing. Employees at Abbey Road Bar and Kitchen, Dwntwn, Harrison’s Bar and Scruffy Murphy’s 1 and 2 have raised much-need funds to install a defibrillator outside Abbey Road on Harrington Street. Volunteers from all venues are also committing their own time to being trained into how to use the equipment.

The defibrillator, or Automated External Defibrillator (AED), is life-saving equipment for emergency use in treating life support and resuscitation, by way of reviving someone who is suffering from cardiac arrest. Verified training, which the team is about to start, is delivered by experienced first aid responders who hold prehospital qualifications.

Business Development Manager Nicola Halton explains:

“As a group, we have already established our own unique community-based programme. We began our journey sponsoring local grassroots football teams, boxing events and dance troupes. Over Christmas 2022 and Easter 2023 we co-ordinated a campaign to get festive gifts and Easter eggs distributed to key community centres in the Liverpool area.


We have also just completed a charity abseil at Anfield, the home of Liverpool Football Club, to directly raise funds which we have been able to use to invest in a defibrillator machine – this is currently located outside  Abbey Road. As our venues are located in such a busy area of the city, attracting a wide demographic of guests, and have a huge footfall, we became aware that this equipment is absolutely vital. This type of equipment and its trained, responsible use can assist in emergency situations while medical assistance is in transit.


Our inaugural defibrillator, which is located in Harrington Street, is important to us as it is located in an accessible area without being vulnerable from being damaged. It is also a key site as it also links up Castle Street and Mathew Street, and is based on a road that vehicles can access if an ambulance is called.


We are proud to be part of a hospitality and leisure sector in the city which is really key in assisting first aid provision which is over and above what is required of us legally. This important piece of equipment is something which we know really does help save lives – we accessed our defibrillator via RentaDefib, which we were then able to purchase outright from Vivienne Nicholls.


We would not have been able to undertake this investment without the generosity of our customers, who have enabled us to purchase the defibrillator and its dedicated security cabinet. Our brave team members who were involved in the abseiling event at Anfield also raised funds for our upcoming training sessions. I took part in this part of our journey, and it was brilliant fun, even if we did need a fair bit of bravado to get started!


As a tight-knit team across Abbey Road, Dwntwn, Harrison’s and both of our Scruffy Murphy’s venues, we also really enjoy the chance to work together and contribute something as a collective, and so completing our dedicated training is important to us.


The more defibrillators located in this busy area of the city centre the better, and with trained staff on hand to help in case of emergency, we look forward to providing any help and assistance to the brilliant NHS ambulance and frontline staff who do such a wonderful job of keeping our visitors safe.”

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