The life-saving defibrillators in Wales’ most unexpected places

With more than 40,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK every year, the foundation wanted to highlight the importance of having defibrillators in every corner of the country.

BHF says the current survival rate for non-hospital cardiac arrests is less than one in 10, but timely defibrillation and CPR can double the chances of survival.

The pictures span from the most northerly device, at Hermaness National Nature Reserve on Unst in Shetland to the most southerly based outside a gin distillery in St Agnes, Isles of Scilly.

The unit in St Agnes is perched on a rock as waves crash into the beach behind it. The whole island is just a mile across, with no cars and just 85 residents.

Two miles from the mainland on the remote Welsh Island of Ynys Enlli, there is a defibrillator which serves just four human residents of the island, along with hundreds of sheep.

The most inland defibrillator is pictured in Coventry, while the most easterly is close to Ness Point, in Suffolk. The most westerly is displayed next to Lough Melvin in the northwest of Ireland.

Jayne Biggs, 55 from Bradwell Norfolk, is the guardian of 180 defibrillators on the circuit, including two of those pictured by BHF, the most easterly and lowest.

In 2013, her daughter Violet went into cardiac arrest at home, and was saved when paramedics arrived and used a defibrillator on her, which restarted her heart.

Ms Biggs said: “What happened to Violet opened my eyes to just how incredibly important accessible defibrillators are to everyday people.

“Knowing that it was this device which helped to save my little girl, I knew I wanted to make a difference for others in my situation and similar.

“I’ve campaigned for and installed nearly 200 defibrillators in Norfolk and Suffolk which I am responsible for looking after. I feel it’s my real purpose.”

The BHF hopes the pictures inspire others to register defibrillators and become guardians so that the UK can hit 125,000 devices by the end of 2026.

There are currently just under 123,000 devices registered on The Circuit, which is a database created to provide ambulance services vital information about defibrillatorsacross the UK.

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive at BHF, said: “We’re so close to getting a truly nationwide picture of where defibrillators are located on The Circuit, but there are still thousands missing from it.

“This means the devices are not visible to ambulance services in an emergency, when seconds count.

“Please help us find these hidden devices. It’s easy to register, and it could save a life.”