A Bridlington man is leading a grassroots effort to install a publicly-accessible defibrillator in his neighbourhood.
Graham Bates is aiming to bring lifesaving equipment closer to home in a community with limited immediate access.
Graham launched the campaign after discovering that the nearest defibrillators are either locked behind access codes or over a mile away- a distance that can prove critical in an emergency:
"It's primarily when you listen on the TV or on radio, there's people who just collapsed on a sports field or in the street or in school even. And there's been campaigns by other people who have said, get these defibrillators into these places. And they've been quite successful. I know there's one at the Sewerby Bowling Club on the cliff top, but it's too remote for people to rush down and get one.
"Yeah, because they've got to be, applied within about five minutes really to make any success of it."
Despite some being listed on the national defibrillator network, ‘The Circuit’, not all are accessible when needed most.
"And even then, if you don’t know what a defibrillator is or where to go, you're already losing time," Graham warns:
" It's not ideally central for our area, but it's not too bad. And I'm prepared to have it at the front of our house and I've got a PowerPoint so I can run it from there. There's been a few donations, but to be honest, there's not been that many, few people have been generous and I worked it out that if everybody, gave a tenor, alright, then over four years.
"A stamp for everybody who lives in the house."
Bridlington no longer has an A&E hospital. The closest is in Scarborough, approximately 19 miles, or around 40 minutes away. In peak summer months, with traffic and increased visitor numbers, that journey can take significantly longer.
Graham has proposed installing the defibrillator on the front of his own home, visible from the street and accessible 24/7. His initiative is part of the wider My Community Defib project, which supports residents across the UK to fund, install, and maintain local defibrillator units. The package includes an unlocked, weatherproof cabinet with a four-year guarantee covering theft, damage, or malfunction, removing the burden of future costs from local donors.
The area Graham is targeting; the old Marton Lodge Estate in the town’s north east is home to many older residents, including single-occupant households, and sees a huge influx of tourists during the summer. However, ambulance resources don’t increase to match seasonal demand, further underscoring the need for fast, local emergency response.
Despite broad support for the idea, Graham has so far raised just over 20% of the total needed, after leafletting more than 250 homes at his own expense.
You can support Graham’s campaign by donating here.
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