Heartbeat is a small Coventry charity dedicated to providing defibrillators across Coventry and the UK. In conversation with John Collings.

Heartbeat – helping people to help each other

Heartbeat is a small Coventry charity dedicated to providing defibrillators across Coventry and the UK.

Coronary Heart Disease is responsible for around 66,000 deaths in the UK each year, an average of 180 people each day, or one death around every eight minutes. Ruth Burdett, Voluntary Action Coventry, in conversation with John Collings of Heartbeat, asked him to tell us how he became involved with the charity:

“I was asked, by a heart  transplant recipient, if I could help, as the charity was struggling. Sadly, the founder passed away and the charity was wound up. But I could see the need for defibrillators in community buildings, so I started Heartbeat and registered it as a charity in 2008. Our funds for the defibrillators are raised through public donations in pubs and supermarkets. We acted as a catalyst for supermarkets who have now paid for their own defibrillators in stores across the UK.

Organisations who want a defibrillator send a letter asking for one, with their reasons attached.  We will have a conversation. We work with the groups who approach us. Heartbeat operates throughout England and Wales and has placed 300 defibrillators in pubs, clubs, churches and other community venues.  Recently we paid for seven defibrillators, four of which have been placed around Coventry, one in Scotland, one in Wales and another in Doncaster.

Heartbeat is a small team – one part-time paid administrator and fundraiser, help deliver training to groups and community organisations on how to use a defibrillator. They also work with ambulance services to identify hotspots for cardiac arrests.

Defibrillators are much more efficient than cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Every minute counts if the person is to survive – there is 80% chance of survival after a minute, and this decreases every minute after.”

If you’d like to know more, please get in touch with the charity via this email address: patandharry18@gmail.com

Photo details: John Collings of Heartbeat    Photo credit: Voluntary Action Coventry