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Rupert is running Cardiff Half Marathon on 2nd October 2022. Despite running a number of prior events, Rupert admits he’s found running much harder after Covid. This running event will be special, as he plans to raise funds for Porthcawl Male Choir, to support them to have their own defibrillator. The hope is that the defibrillator can be installed at their practice venue with both training and maintenance arranged.

Rupert and his wife are both Porthcawl residents and work locally as doctors. They have a close affinity to the choir, after the choir sang at their wedding back in 2013. They have maintained friendships with a number of choir members and love attending their events. 

The facts surrounding out of hospital cardiac arrest are stark. Only 1 in 10 people whose heart stops out of hospital, will survive that event. Each year there are 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK. Investment in a defibrillator could be the difference between life and death. Early electrical stimulation of the heart is associated with better outcomes and survival rates. You don’t have to be a fireman to operate a fire extinguisher and the same is true for defibrillators, with only basic training needed to operate them. There is a push for more clubs and community settings to have quick access to a machine and help to save a life if the need arises. 

There are a number of Welsh organisations that will support clubs and organisations to get a defibrillator but the total cost needed can be quite high. Most good quality defibrillators cost between one and two thousand pounds, with additional funds needed for electricity, installation and maintenance. 

Please support this cause and encourage Rupert to get over the line.