Our Story The Oliver King Foundation
We are determined to save as many young lives as possible by ensuring that no other family has to suffer a similar loss to that of Oliver King.
Dear Friends, We have created this booklet to give you an insight in to what we do, where we have come from and why this is our passion. Together we have achieved many things over the last four years. On one hand it has gone very quickly. On the other we bear the weight of the determination to secure a vital law that will require all schools and leisures facilities to have a lifesaving defibrillator - just like they require a fire extinguisher. Did you know that there are more cardiac arrests in schools than fires? We decided to set this Foundation up in Oliver s name after his tragic death on 2nd March 2011. Together - we are absolutely determined to make sure that no other family has to suffer a similar loss to that of young Oliver. Since January 2012 we have worked tirelessly to raise awareness of sudden cardiac arrest in young people, to put defibrillators out across the UK - and to campaign for legislation that will require every school in the UK to have this lifesaving equipment. We hope that you will find yourself in support of our work, and feel able to get involved and join us on the drive to save lives together. Best wishes, The Oliver King Foundation
On Wednesday 2nd March 2011, 12-year-old Oliver King was taken to King David High School in Liverpool by his father Mark. He attended his morning lessons just like any other school day full of enthusiasm. Later on that day Oliver was taking part in a swimming lesson, determined to win the race, when suddenly - his heart went in to cardiac arrest. It took over 20 minutes for an ambulance to get access to Oliver. For every minute that passed by, his chances of survival dramatically dropped. A lifesaving defibrillator was not available in the area, and without one, the chain of survival was not complete - an electric shock to his heart could have proved vital. If a defibrillator was used within minutes - he could well have had a chance of surviving this hidden condition that can strike at any time. Every single week in the UK 12 young people under the age of 35 die from Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome, a hidden heart condition that can strike on the most fit and healthiest of people.
Write about Oliver s death We will not stop until every single school in the United Kingdom has access to a lifesaving defibrillator.
Our Oliver was born in Liverpool Women s Hospital on 21st January 1999. It was the best day of our lives and the start of us becoming a family. Oliver had all the qualities you could wish for in a child, and more besides. He was a happy, inquisitive toddler with an uncompromising zest for life. We were so proud when Oliver started school. He looked so smart in his school uniform. Right from the start he was popular with both the boys and girls alike. When Oliver was in year 2, the children could vote for who they wanted to be their representative at school council. Oliver s teacher told me I knew it would be Oliver I just didn t realise by how much! Virtually every child in the class had voted for him! As we have mentioned, Oliver was also extremely popular with the girls! We were forever finding little notes and pictures in his bag. We remember one incident in particular, when Mum went to pick him up from school. He came running over to show her the pound that one of the girls had given him. When Mum explained that perhaps it wasn t a good idea to accept money from girls, he told her not to worry as he had asked her for a can of coke and a packet of crisps instead tomorrow! Oliver also excelled at all sport. What makes his death so much harder to accept is the fact that he was such a fantastic athlete, proven time and time again with his endless sports. What stands out is the bleep test. Oliver out ran every adult and child, to get one of the highest scores in the city and astound the sports link organisers. Oliver was a keen member of the hockey, athletics, cricket and tag rugby teams. He was a sportsman at heart and a natural at whatever he turned his hand to. His biggest passion though was of course football! Our Ollie was a winner both on and off the pitch! From his winning smile to his sense of fair play which, perhaps, deserted him when Everton were playing! Oliver represented his school football team on many occasions. One particularly memorable occasion was when, against her better judgement, his teacher agreed to let him play with a broken arm! He was the man of the match that day! Oliver also got to play on his beloved Goodison Park along with his team mates, winning the city finals there. Oliver played for Woolton Diamonds and his West Pool Team where his achievements were endless. One of our proudest moments as parents was when Oliver was chosen to represent Liverpool Schoolboys under 10 s on their trip to Amsterdam and he was voted player of the tournament Oliver was a wonderful big brother to our other son Ben. They were very close and shared lots of laughter and mischief together. Oliver would always include his brother whenever possible. Ben tells us that they shared a secret language which caused them huge amounts of laughter at our expense. Our name for Oliver was Mr Special and no one who attended his funeral could doubt this. The love, the accolades, the friendship and the joy of knowing him was all enveloping. Family was everything to Oliver and Oliver and Ben are everything to us. What we lost that day is immeasurable. We have had to endure the unendurable. Don t let Oliver s death be in vain! Joanne & Mark King Mum and Dad of Oliver & Ben King
Oliver
Our Foundation 15,000 people trained in emergency first aid 800 defibrillators placed in the community 9 lives saved
January 2012 The Oliver King Foundation launched October 2012 All Liverpool Schools receive defibrillators January 2013 110,000 signatures on our e-petition May 2013 England captain Steven Gerrard endorsement July 2013 Pubic Health Minister endorsement October 2013 All Knowsley Schools receive defibrillators June 2014 Secretary of State for Health backs Foundation Summer 2015 800th defibrillator placed
Placing Defibrillators across the UK Then-England Football Captain Steven Gerrard MBE backing the Foundation Our Mascot at the launch of the Liverpool Primary School Defibrillator Programme Minister of State for Public Health Anna Soubry MP launching our community access defibrillator scheme in Liverpool We have been as far up as Stornaway and as far down as Portsmouth in providing defibrillators across the UK One of our defibrillator awareness courses
Lifesaving Defibrillator in every School campaign Leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn MP Minister for Charities Rob Wilson MP Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt MP Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell MP with Ian Lavery MP & Grahame Morris MP
In June 2013 Public Health Minister Anna Soubry MP visited Liverpool to launch the Foundation s community access defibrillator scheme Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt MP endorses The Oliver King Foundation at a meeting in Whitehall A debate in Westminster Hall was held on Monday 25th March 2013 following The Oliver King Foundation e- petition
Help Us. The Foundation has only got to this position today by the support of many volunteers over the last 4 years. From collecting petition signatures to helping at fundraising events. We are currently looking for motivated volunteers to help with our fundraising activities. Your fundraising efforts will help us save lives. We have a programme of exciting and fun events throughout the year or you can organise your own - whether that be a coffee morning or fun run. If you are interested in volunteering then please contact us fundraising@theoliverkingfoundation.co.uk
The Foundation is looking for your help and support so that we can build upon our successes and continue to save lives in the future. For the Foundation to make this vision reality we require funding. Therefore, we are looking for committed supporters to help us raise the money required to make this happen. If you feel your organisation could become a Corporate Sponsor of the Foundation then maybe you could consider us as your Charity of the Year. We would love to hear from you fundraising@theoliverkingfoundation.co.uk Support Us.
Moving forward The team have agreed a vision setting out our priorities for the next two years. We will work tirelessly to ensure that we achieve our aims. Ultimately - we are here to save lives - young and old, from sudden cardiac arrest. Below are the four main areas of our work that we will be focussing on for the next two years. Provide ECG tests for young people in the community To campaign for and secure legislation that will ensure every school in the UK has access to a lifesaving defibrillator To raise awareness of sudden cardiac arrest and how lives can be saved Raise funds to provide defibrillators to organisations and groups that cannot afford them
82 people will suffer a cardiac arrest today only 8 will survive
Contact us To find out more information about The Oliver King Foundation please use the contact details below. web www.theoliverkingfoundation.co.uk email info@theoliverkingfoundation.co.uk twitter @TheOKFoundation tel 0151 728 3470 2016 The Oliver King Foundation - written by Jake Morrison The Oliver King Foundation is a registered charity no. 1144485