A Hartlepool family dedicated to installing life-saving defibrillators across the town following the sudden death of their son, Danny Shurmer, has issued a powerful “thank you” to the local business community for its support.
The family, who founded the charity DS43 in Danny’s name, received a cheque for £4,946.40 from the Hartlepool Business Forum, having been raised at this month’s annual Hartlepool Business Awards.
The donation to the Awards’ chosen charity for this year is a significant boost to DS43’s ultimate goal of ensuring anyone suffering a cardiac arrest in the town is, where possible, within a 350 metres radius of a life-saving device.
Pam Shurmer, a trustee of DS43 along with her husband Bill, said: “We are truly honoured to have been chosen and want to thank the entire Hartlepool business community and their guests.
“It was a fantastic opportunity to be able to stand in front of the room and explain what it is we are doing in the town, and we couldn’t have imagined the amount of money that was raised. This single donation will fund almost four defibrillators to go on walls or two on posts.”
Pam described how Danny, who died suddenly aged 43 in 2021, was a fit and healthy sportsman. The poor defibrillator coverage in his area at the time galvanised the family, along with David and Kelly Cairns who are also trustees, into action.
She said: “We never envisaged from where we started that we would be standing here now knowing the majority of Hartlepool is covered. There is still work to do as the town expands and we continue to work towards our aims.
“At the time, there was not one where Danny lived, and the coverage was really poor. Cardiac arrest doesn’t discriminate and nor do we, the whole of our community is equally important.
We have now installed 84 24-hour access defibrillators across the town, which are in addition to the 22 that were registered at the time of Daniel’s death.”
The Hartlepool Business Awards 2025 were a huge success, with more than 300 people gathering at Hardwick Hall, Sedgefield, to celebrate local success.
The event was strongly supported by main sponsors Plastic Processing Ltd, X-energy, and NE Security Ltd, among others, ensuring a spectacular night that successfully generated a record donation for the charity.
Simon Corbett, the Chair of the Hartlepool Business Forum and founder of Orangebox Training Solutions, said: “We’ve hit a record fundraising total for the Awards, which speaks volumes about the generosity of our local businesses.
“Choosing DS43 was easy. Their story is as genuine and local as it gets. Knowing the money directly helps DS43 install life-saving defibrillators right across Hartlepool – providing crucial resuscitation equipment – is why people gave so readily.
“We want to support as many local charities doing such powerful work as we can, and this year, DS43, earned the spotlight.”
The funds will be used to install more life-saving devices early in the New Year, continuing Danny’s legacy and making the town safer for all its residents.
In the event of an emergency, call 999 the ambulance service will direct you to the nearest emergency ready defibrillator and give you the cabinet code. They will also ensure professional help is on the way.
*To find out where your nearest defibrillator is, check out defibfinder.uk and this is subject to change.
We couldn’t have imagined the amount of money that was raised. This single donation will fund almost four defibrillators to go on walls or two on posts.”
-Pam Shurmer, Trustee, DS43
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