"Survival shouldn't depend on postcode", Welsh footballer calls for more defibs
Tom Lockyer suffered from a cardiac arrest in 2023, he's campaigning for better access to defibrillators in local communities
Last updated 31st Jan 2025
The postcode a person lives in may have an important impact on a person’s chance of surviving a cardiac arrest due variability in access to lifesaving defibrillators – a charity has warned.
The British Heart Foundation (BHF) and Sky Bet have joined to, what they say, "tackle defibrillator inequality in communities across the UK".
According to BHF data, people living in Caerau in Wales are on average 639 metres away from their nearest public access defibrillator compared to the national recommendation of 200 meters.
This would roughly equate to a 7 minute retrieval time. And people living in Caia Park, Wrexham are on average 464 metres away equating to a 5 minute retrieval time.
"Each year in the UK there are over 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests but currently less than 1-in-10 survive."
Luton Town Captain and Wales defender, Tom Lockyer, suffered a cardiac arrest during a Premier League game at Bournemouth in December 2023 and his heart stopped for two minutes and 40 seconds.
The defender was saved as medics performed CPR and provided early defibrillation.
Now he joins the BHF in calling for more defibrillators in local communities.
He said: "Survival shouldn't depend on your postcode.
"Every minute of delay between a cardiac arrest and defibrillation reduces the chance of survival by up to 10 per cent".
Quick CPR and defibrillation is therefore vital to give someone the best chance of survival.
Community groups awarded a defibrillator can order future replacement parts free of charge when they expire or are used in a rescue.
Launched in May this year by Sky Bet and the BHF, the Every Minute Matters campaign is attempting to donate up to £3 million for the charity and to encourage 270,000 people to learn CPR – equivalent to three Wembley Stadiums.
The campaign has over 150,000 people learning life-saving CPR in just over 8 months.