Leicestershire golf club swings into action to create a heart-safe environment

Willesley Park Golf Club (WPGC) in Ashby de la Zouch has taken steps to ensure their defibrillator is accessible to members and the local community with the support of a local heart charity, The Joe Humphries Memorial Trust.

The defibrillator is prominently located on the south side of an adjacent wall to the car park and is easily accessible to the nearby community and available 24/7.

The external cabinet which will keep the defibrillator safe has been donated by the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust (JHMT), which works with sports clubs and community groups to raise awareness of sudden heart deaths, particularly in young people.

The golf club plan to host a number of JHMT Joe's Mini HeartStart for Sports Clubs CPR & AED familiarisation training sessions over the coming weeks, starting in February, to ensure all staff and members have the opportunity to know how to use a defibrillator and can perform CPR in an emergency.

The Willesley Park Golf Club is a heath and park land course which was first opened in 1920 and later re-modelled by James Braid, retaining many of the key landscape features and natural terrain. The club currently has 700 members ranging from 12 – 90 years of age.

Peter Sargent, General Manager at Willesley Park Golf Club said: " The club is very grateful to JHMT for their invaluable assistance, support including with training and donation of a cabinet to help us site a defibrillator, so it's best placed to serve not only members but the nearby community in an emergency. While we hope we will never have to use it, it shows our commitment to creating a heart safe sport environment for all. Nothing can be more important than being ready saving a life."

Charles Poole from JHMT, said: " In the event of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, rapid action can be the difference between life and death. Immediate by-stander CPR and the early use of a Defibrillator increases the likelihood of survival significantly.

The Golf Club is, therefore, to be very much applauded for making their Defibrillator as accessible as possible, not only for their members but also for the surrounding community."

The JHMT is a local charity which was set up in memory of Leicester teenager Joe Humphries, who in October 2012 collapsed and died while out jogging near his family home in Rothley. Joe ( 14 years of age) was a victim of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) – a group of lethal heart diseases which can cause sudden cardiac death in young people.

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

To find out more about the work of the Trust, apply for training and support, or to help out with the charity's work, visit the website at www.jhmt.org.uk

Pictured from left to right are members of the club: Deborah Lewis - Lady Member, John William Dumelow - Mens Captain, Janet King - Lady Vice Captain, Alan White - JHMT and Peter Sargent (General Manager).