Local businesses and residents in Cheltenham are invited to attend a free training session on 11 May 2026 to learn how to use life-saving defibrillation equipment. Hosted by Cheltenham BID, the one-hour workshop will take place at The Isbourne Wellbeing Centre from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM.
The session will be led by Clare Seed, founder of Tidal Training Direct Ltd. Participants will receive hands-on instruction on how to operate a defibrillator, a skill that can increase a person’s chance of surviving a cardiac arrest by up to 80% if used within the first two minutes of an emergency.
This initiative builds on the success of the Public Hearts campaign, which has worked to improve safety across the town since 2018. While Cheltenham once had no public access defibrillators in the town centre, there are now more than 100 devices installed locally. These machines are placed approximately 131 metres apart and have been accessed 105 times in the past year to help save lives.
Although survival rates for cardiac arrests occurring outside of hospitals remain below 10% across the UK, early intervention with a defibrillator within three to five minutes can improve survival odds by 50% to 70%. The upcoming workshop is free for local businesses that pay the Cheltenham BID levy, with a maximum of four tickets available per organisation. Attendees are reminded that if they are unable to attend, they must provide at least 48 hours notice to avoid potential restrictions on registering for future events.
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