Sheffield Wednesday superfan Tango raises almost £2,000 in a week for defibrillators in daughter's memory

The amount raised so far will allow four defibrillators to be donated to Sheffield Wednesday.

Last December, Paul ‘Tango’ Gregory’s beloved daughter Lauren Walker passed away, aged 29, after a long illness.

Lauren and Paul travelled across the country to watch Sheffield Wednesday together.

To keep ‘Lauren’s legacy’ alive Paul launched the #OneInEveryCorner mission with the aim of having a defibrillator installed in all four corners of all 92 football stadiums in the UK. Each one will also have a plaque with Lauren’s name on it.

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Paul said: “She used to go everywhere in England with me. It’s like a pain you can’t describe, losing a child. She’s my princess. It’s going to be so hard going forward but I am absolutely determined to see it through.

“It’s a big task but even if we save one life, Lauren’s legacy will be kept alive. We have done better than we ever thought we would and the fundraiser is gaining pace, getting bigger and bigger. We have social media to thank for this.

“Eventually we want to progress to other events and have defibrillators fitted at places like junior clubs. We are going to keep going. There is a huge lack of defibrillators across the country.”

Paul has partnered with Rotherham-based defibrillator supplier Martek Lifecare and charity Red Sky Foundation, set up by Sergio and Emma Petrucci. A total of £226,688 will need to be raised for his dream to come true.

Red Sky Foundation have already placed over 800 defibrillators in communities, city centres, schools and workplaces in many parts of the UK as part of a long-term strategy to help reduce the number of deaths from sudden cardiac arrest. 

According to Red Sky Foundation only one in 10 people survive an out of hospital cardiac arrest.  Early CPR and a defibrillator can give someone a greater chance of survival.  

Each year the charity fundraises to donate defibrillators to grassroots sports teams and has already begun to place public accessible units at a handful of stadiums. The mission is to ensure every supporter donating towards this project will help to make their football club a safer place to visit.  

The campaign will officially launch on December 21 at the Sheffield Wednesday v Stoke City game, on the anniversary of Lauren’s funeral.

Hillsborough Stadium’s four new defibrillators will be presented during half time and followed by a celebration of Lauren’s life.

Paul said: “It’s one down and 91 to go!”

To support Paul’s fundraiser visit: https://redskyfoundation.enthuse.com/cf/oneineverycorner