‘Life Hikers’ raise tens of thousands for life-saving defibrillators in the capital

Walkers taking part in the London Ambulance Charity’s first ever fundraising London Life Hike on Sunday (8 September) raised almost £25,000 – enough to pay for 15 defibrillators to be used by local communities in London.

More than 200 Londoners joined the Charity’s inaugural walk with a shared mission to help save lives and improve cardiac arrest survival in the capital for the London Heart Starters campaign.

The money raised will help us buy more public-access defibrillators, which make a crucial difference when someone’s heart stops beating, for the neighbourhoods in London that need them most.

Before setting off on their 20km or 5km journeys that took in breath-taking views of famous London landmarks, ‘Life Hikers’ took part in CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) training and other educational activities at a vibrant event village at Battersea Park.

One of the walkers was former London Ambulance Service patient Sue Whitham, 63, from Hanworth. She suffered a cardiac arrest on the day her granddaughter Sienna was due to be born.

Thanks to the life-saving intervention from her husband Julian and London Ambulance Service crews she survived and took part in the walk with her family and colleague Anthony, raising more than £2,500.

She said: “When I collapsed at home, fortunately my husband Julian knew exactly what to do and he started chest compressions whilst dialling 999 on speaker phone. He carried on CPR until the ambulances crews arrived within minutes.

“We raised money for the walk as a ‘thank you’ to the London Ambulance Service for saving me.”

Head of London Ambulance Charity Jess Burgess said:

“Our Charity’s inaugural fundraising walk was an important moment for London Ambulance Service as we galvanised Londoners and their families to help us save lives while taking in incredible views of the capital’s iconic landmarks.

“Every year London Ambulance Service crews go to over 14,000 cardiac arrests where a person’s heart has stopped beating and we know that the efforts of our ‘Life Hikers’ will help us save more lives.

“A third of all these patients require the use of a defibrillator – a vital piece of equipment that is incredibly easy to operate and gives people in life-threatening emergencies the best chance of survival when used quickly. Latest figures show that almost one person a week is saved by a bystander using a defibrillator kept in a public place in the community.

“London Heart Starters is a new pioneering fundraising campaign led by our Charity to raise money to buy these life-saving devices and ensure they can be used in the communities where they are most needed and improve survival rates.”

It’s not too late to make a difference. There are three things Londoners can do to support the London Ambulance Charity in this life-saving mission:

1. We want businesses and community groups to consider buying and hosting a defibrillator in their community as part of the London Heart Starters campaign.
2. We need people to register themselves to become a London Lifesaver and receive training in CPR and how to use a defibrillator.
3. We need Londoners to support our fundraising efforts either by collecting money and donating it to the London Ambulance Charity or by taking part in our fundraising events, such as the London Life Hike.

Recent analysis by the London Ambulance Service has revealed that dozens of neighbourhoods are ‘defibrillator deserts’ – where there is little or no access to a life saving device.

The data has revealed large discrepancies between communities in outcomes for cardiac arrest and the availability of life-saving devices. Households in more deprived areas are more likely to be in an area in greater need of additional defibrillators.

The Charity will work with walk participants, local councillors, and community groups from priority neighbourhoods who can help with installing defibrillators in their local communities.

Help us raise money for our life-saving Heart Starters campaign on our dedicated London Ambulance Charity website here.