Leicestershire based football Academy create a Heartsafe community for all with support local heart charity JHMT

The football academy - who have a defibrillator have now been able to site the equipment in an external cabinet which was kindly donated by JHMT. This means the defibrillator is now easily accessible at any time 24/7 should it is needed in an emergency. Registered with East Midlands Ambulance Service, it enables the emergency call handler to initiate its use and help any available bystander follow the simple instructions and become a potential life saver.

Janeanne Moult – Club Secretary and Student Support, FCV International Football Academy said: "Having the defib on Grace Dieu Manor Park grounds was something quite personal to me having known Joe Humphries as a friend of my son. It was extremely difficult and hard for my son to understand why such a fit and healthy 14-year-old could collapse doing something he loved.

"As soon as I started working with FCV International Football Academy, The Joe Humphries Memorial Trust came to mind, knowing we would get the right advice, training, and support to put into place vital equipment for our players and the local community using our facilities. Hopefully, we will never have to use our defib, but we will be well prepared should the need arise".

Up to 40 x academy staff have received training with up to 80 x students booked in to learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills and how to use the AED in case of an emergency in October with sessions taking place during SADS Awareness Week ( 2- 8 October) led by JHMT's lead trainer Alan White.

"We are delighted to have this defibrillator at Grace Dieu Manor Park. With the local community and young athletes using the facility, we want to ensure that their health and welfare is priority." added Ann Dyte CEO - FCV International Football Academy

FCV International Football Academy - https://internationalfootball.academy/ - has been running since 2007 when it became the UK's first private football academy and made Grace Dieu Manor Park its permanent home in August 2022. Grace Dieu Manor Park opened in 2022 and is currently making its many facilities (sports hall, swimming pool, tennis courts, football pitches, office space) open for public and community use.

Charles Poole, JHMT AED lead said: "We were delighted to hear from Janeanne about the academy plans to create a heart-safe environment to benefit staff, young athletes and community. It is very much part of the JHMT ethos to encourage defibrillators to be made accessible to the public 24/7 by the provision of external cabinets wherever possible.

"For every minute somebody who has suffered a cardiac arrest has to wait without effective CPR and defibrillation, their chances of survival decrease by 10%. The demonstrates all too clearly why having easily accessible AEDs in key public places like sports and recreation facilities is so important. Quick action saves lives."

As well as providing free CPR and defibrillator training, the JHMT works hard to raise awareness of sudden heart deaths, helps to provide community defibrillators and runs Inspire, a local grants scheme for inspirational young people.

The charity was set up after the tragic death of Rothley teenager Joe Humphries in 2012, who died from sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) while out on a run.

Source: THE JOE HUMPHRIES MEMORIAL TRUST