Every year 30,000 people in the UK suffer cardiac arrest outside of hospital. Within three to four minutes brain cells start to die and without defibrillation within eight minutes there is an 80% chance that the victim will die. According to the British Heart Foundation (BHF), across Hambleton around 11,000 people are living with Cardiovascular Disease and 250 of these will die each year. They have also revealed that the proportion of residents with “High Cholesterol” and with “High Blood Pressure” are both higher in Hambleton than the UK average.

Known as “Restarting Hearts in Northallerton” the community group has begun an ambitious 12-month project to improve the probability of survival from cardiac arrest in and around the town. The aim is to significantly increase the number and awareness of Public Access Defibrillators (PADs) and give more confidence to residents in using one if required.