Idlewells Shopping Centre in Sutton has announced a new charity partnership with Leon’s Legacy, a local non-profit dedicated to increasing cardiac arrest survival rates.

Leon’s Legacy was founded in memory of Leon Smith, who suffered an out of hospital cardiac arrest at Annesley Primary School, where he worked.

To mark the beginning of this collaboration, the centre has received some bleed kits and will be installing a new state-of-the-art defibrillator to ensure the safety of its shoppers and the wider community.

Once installed, the defibrillator will be accessible during the centre’s opening hours.

This medical device is designed for use by anyone and can assist someone experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest.

Jason Truscott, centre manager at Idlewells Shopping Centre, said, "Safety is our top priority, and while we hope the new defibrillator will never have to be used, having it on-site will provide peace of mind.

Leon’s Legacy does incredible work in our community, and we can’t wait to see what we can achieve together."

Leon was just 52 when he suffered a cardiac arrest while at work.

Despite the best efforts of the school staff, Community First Responders, Paramedics and Air Ambulance, Leon did not survive.

Leon’s family set up Leon’s Legacy in his memory.

The legacy began when they were fundraising for a defibrillator for Annesley Primary School, and since then, they have continued their fundraising efforts.

Idlewells Shopping Centre is pleased to now support two charity partners as the centre team will continue their ongoing support for Rainbows Children’s Hospice.

For more information on opening hours and upcoming events for the year, please visit idlewells.co.uk