Hanwell Residents Urged To Become Lifesavers

Defibrillator and training available at W7 community centre

The William Hobbayne Centre on St. Dunstan’s Road in Hanwell has been fitted with a public access defibrillator (PAD) and has been awarded a CPR training kit by the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

The defibrillator is a portable device that can be used by a member of the public to help restart the heart when someone has a cardiac arrest. For every minute that passes without defibrillation and CPR, chances of survival decrease by around ten per cent.

Over 30,000 cardiac arrests happen out of hospital in the UK every year but currently less than one in ten survive. The BHF want to create a Nation of Lifesavers in a bid to boost these shocking survival rates.

The charity is campaigning for defibrillators to be made more accessible and recognisable to the public and want all young people to be taught CPR and PAD awareness at school.

Barbara Sowa from ECG Fitness who facilitates the Cardiac Rehabilitation classes at the centre said: “We are delighted to have this lifesaving package here. The defibrillator will be placed in our main hall meaning that local people have the best chance of survival should they suffer a cardiac arrest. We’re keen to get as many people as possible trained in CPR too. We are also providing fitness classes for all those who would like to look after their cardiovascular health or have experienced any cardiovascular event before”

 Judy O’Sullivan, Assistant Programme Director at the BHF, said: “More than 30,000 people suffer a cardiac arrest outside of hospital every year but less than one in ten survive. More people could be saved if more defibrillators were available in public places and if more people felt confident using them and performing CPR. We are delighted that The William Hobbayne Charity has joined the BHF’s Nation of Lifesavers campaign - by making another defibrillator available in a Hanwell and teaching CPR locally. It could really be the difference between life and death. ”

If you would like to become a potential life saver please contact Barbara Sowa on 07522678973 or

e-mail:barbara.sowa@wlmht.nhs.uk for more details about the training.

To find out more about defibrillators and how to place one in your organisation or community visit www.bhf.org.uk. 

4th May 2016