Mum On A Mission To Help Swansea Become First "Defib Friendly" City!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Nichola's husband died suddenly in February 2020 during a family holiday in Marbella. She was with her son Harrison walking towards a restaurant when 50-year-old Jeremy collapsed and died.  He was an active man, loved rugby, fishing, swimming every day and was an instrument engineer with BOC. The couple met when they were 21 and had been married for 30 years.

Nicola told us: "I was really lucky to have been married to Jeremy for so long and I know everybody says that, but he just really was the nicest person in every way really. He was just the best dad, amazing husband, son and friend and he really cared about other people and just had a big, big heart."

You can listen to full interview on the Audioboom podcast link below.

Following his death, a friend set up a Go Fund Me page in Jeremy's name which raised over four and a half thousand pounds. Nicola wanted to make sure it went to a cause which could help save lives and chose Heartbeat.

Nichola says "I didn't want to rush in and just donate to perhaps a big charity. I really to find out where we could make the biggest difference and the biggest difference locally and so it just happened. I was driving along one day, and I saw one of the green defib boxes that you probably see around, and you know obviously had started to notice them, particularly because of what had happened, and it made me think, after what had happened that I wouldn't actually know what to do if anyone had a cardiac arrest."

She is now working with Heartbeat Trust UK to help raise awareness and encourage people to learn how to save a life by using a defibrillator and learning CPR. She says " The aim is now to make Swansea a 'defib friendly' city and so we're installing over 300, 24-hour accessible defibs in the 36 council wards - working in partnership with Swansea Council.

"I think what's really important is it's not just putting the defibs up, it's really, you know, educating people in all of the different communities to know where their defib is and it's just so easy to use it.

"You mustn't be afraid to use it. It gives you instructions. Dial 999 first. Open the defib box, get the defib out and it will give you all of those instructions of what to do."

Heartbeat Trust UK is embarking on a year long training programme. It's starting this Saturday to mark Restart a Heart Day. Sessions are taking place at Bishopston Community Centre between 10am and 5pm.