Cheltenham says ‘thank you’ for an incredible life-saving legacy
Eight years ago Cheltenham had no defibrillators - today it has 100 of the machines that can save lives by restarting a heart after a cardiac arrest, thanks to the drive of one woman.
Dear reader,
Welcome to Friday’s edition of The Raikes Journal.
We begin with a few briefing notes, not least a story that tantalises with potential news about the sale of Cheltenham’s municipal offices, before diving straight into a story we think speaks volumes about Gloucestershire.
On the face of it, this is the tale of a party at Cheltenham’s Minster Exchange (MC centre) on Thursday evening (24 April) to celebrate the installation of the 100th defibrillator in the town - something no other town in the UK has come close to this, to our knowledge.
But it’s so much more than that. It also shone the spotlight on one woman’s determination to make the momentous occasion happen and how she did that backed by a new army of friends she made along the way, by influencers in the very real sense, and some very, very generous benefactors.
I hope the article below does at least some justice to what Cheltenham has achieved and to the story of Clare Seed.
Remember, if you want to see us deliver more independent journalism about Gloucestershire in an era when it seems woefully thin on the ground, please do consider subscribing to our thrice-weekly emails - and better still, becoming one of our valued paid-for subscribers too!
Have a great weekend.
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Andrew Merrell (editor).
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Your briefing notes…
🏛️ An announcement on who the new owner of Cheltenham’s landmark Municipal Offices and what the future holds for the iconic building is coming - but don’t hold your breath.
The sale for the Grade II* listed home of Cheltenham Borough Council, which was put on the market in September, closed in January. Civic chiefs say an announcement on who had the winning bid for the 68,290 sq ft Promenade building will not be made for another month or two. You can read the story we have so far here.
🏛️ 🔫 Last year, after four years of development and investment, a Gloucestershire manufacturer was predicting significant growth. Its predictions appear to be coming true. In our PR Wire Channel we’ve run a release from EcoGuard Scotland, the latest company to have started using Gloucestershire firm Stonehealth’s high-pressure steam cleaning gear. For Stonehealth’s chairman, Brian Crowe, it’s further justification for the near six-figures investment that brought the cleaning machine to market - and just the latest example of the demand helping drive its turnover. You can read that story here.
📈 In the latest blog from one of our key Founding Partners, leadership development specialists QuoLux, Professor Malcolm McDonald caught our eye with this opening line: “I’d like to explain how a winning marketing strategy will make you richer”. McDonald, who has published more than 50 books, sold more than half a million copies and worked with directors in hundreds of companies, has had a long-standing relationship with QuoLux. In this blog on market planning and strategy he addresses the fundamentals that can transform your business’s performance. We’ve run it in full on our Expert Insight page. But you can read it on the QuoLux website here.
Top 100: Computer wholesaler records a £220 million-plus turnover
It may not be a household name to most of us, but a business that specialises in the wholesale of computer and telecommunications equipment has seen turnover rise and profits almost double.
You can read one of our latest stories in our Top 100 Businesses in Gloucestershire series, right here.
Cheltenham says ‘thank you’ for an incredible life-saving legacy
Eight years ago Cheltenham had no defibrillators - today it has 100 of the machines that can restart a heart after a cardiac arrest and save lives, thanks to the drive of one woman.
By Andrew Merrell.
When Clare Seed got up on stage at the MX centre in Cheltenham last night (24 April) in front of guests, dignitaries and those who have made installing 100 defibrillators in Cheltenham possible, she got more than she bargained for.
For her it was about celebrating the milestone, but for many in the room it was also a chance to pay tribute to a woman whose single-minded determination, charm, energy and enthusiasm, has created a ‘family’ that has achieved what she was told was impossible.
Seed, who also runs first aid training specialists Tidal Training Direct, has led a campaign that has galvanised scores of generous individuals, businesses and others and delivered an end result whose legacy is already unquantifiable.
“This is a true example of what can happen when you put people at the heart of organisations and value people above everything else,” said Seed, who took to the stage to address the scores of guests gathered for the occasion.
“To date these defibs have been accessed 162 times. The most important thing we all have is each other.
“What this shows is that when someone in Cheltenham needs help, the town is here for them.”
David Allen, the managing director of business telecommunications specialist Square One Network Ltd, is one of those who, together with his wife, Emma, funded a defibrillator as part of the campaign.
That device was installed at the Appletree Public House in Woodmancote earlier this year.
“I got a call on holiday that my defib - I don’t know why I call it mine! - had been accessed.
“It was really quite emotional. I brought a lump to the throat,” said Allen, still moved at the thought of what that could have meant for someone.
Nigel Barraclough, is a first aider, paramedic from the Qualsafe Awards, the leading awarding organisation for first aid qualifications in the UK. He too was at the event at the MX centre.
“I think people misunderstand the survival rate when someone has a heart attack. They see it on television where people are given a few breaths and a few chest compressions and they come back to life.
“If someone has a cardiac arrest, help needs to get there within the first four minutes - what we call the golden period.
“Without a defib the chances of survival are dramatically reduced. There is a one in eight chance of recovery. With a defib the chances of survival goes up to 74 per cent.”
Seed paid particular tribute to those who have been central to making the campaign happen, bringing on stage the businessman Bob Holt, her partner and the founder of Tidal Traning, Colin Frensham, Greg Godfrey-Williams, formerly of Spirax Sarco, and David Jones, of chartered surveyors Evans Jones.
And there was a moving video message from Cheltenham man Chris Hickey, co-founder of Public Hearts Defibrillator Campaign. Hickey had a cardiac arrest in the town back in 2018 and was only saved by his wife’s CPR skills and the nearby firebrigade’s defib machine.
Without the help of all of the above, said Seed, there would have been no successful campaign to celebrate.
Jones’ story reflected that of many others, in that he found himself swept up by Seed’s enthusiasm, but his expertise has also been key to reaching the 100 milestone.
“Evans Jones first got involved with the Public Hearts Defibrillator Campaign in 2021, this followed a chance conversation with the driving force behind the campaign Clare Seed,” said Jones.
“Clare approached me seeking advice as to the technical issues to overcome to place defibrillator units on buildings throughout Cheltenham.
“After two minutes I was hooked and immediately offered the services of Evans Jones on a pro bono basis to get as many units fitted as possible.
“Clare and I trawled the town centre seeking potential donner sites. I approached landowners and tenants seeking consent and liaised with Cheltenham Borough Council to secure type approval for fixing the units on non-listed buildings within the town centre.
“I never imagined that the campaign would deliver 100 publicly accessible units though out the town centre. A truly amazing achievement.
“Clare’s charm, tenacity and expert knowledge all contribute to the success of this campaign, without Clare driving this campaign forward, we wouldn’t have got to 10 units let alone 100.”
Holt, who has a key catalyst too, dipping into his own pocket to fund defibrillators, otherwise did his best to keep a low profile at the gathering.
“I am delighted for Clare and for the campaign. Clare is a special lady. Little gets done without leadership, and she is a fantastic leader,” he said.
Cllr Paul Baker, the mayor of Cheltenham, joined in the praise: “On behalf of Cheltenham, I would like to say a massive ‘thank you’.”
Max Wilkinson, the MP for Cheltenham, said: “How she has managed to bring together the private sector, the third sector and the public sector is truly inspiring.
“I am so proud of what she has achieved for our community.”
It was a sentiment echoed by Cllr Rowena Hay, leader of Cheltenham Borough Council, who said: “It is one of the things I am proudest about, about Cheltenham - the way people come together to work in partnership to get things done.”
A recorded video message from Pablo Martinez and Eddie Jones helped bring home just how valuable defibs can be, and how all ages can benefit from the devices.
Martinez, who was in his very early twenties at the time, was playing for Chippenham Town FC when he had a cardiac arrest on the football pitch.
Only the quick thinking of his teammate, Jones, and others - and access to a defibrillator machine - saved his life.
“I think what Clare is doing is extraordinary. Defibs give you a second chance of life. And I got that second chance because one of them was close by,” said Martinez.
Seed described the last seven years since the campaign started as a “magical journey” filled with “immense kindness”, but it is a journey that has been far from easy.
There was no mention of the serious personal health challenges she has also had to overcome or the efforts it took to build a campaign that now looks like it has unstoppable momentum.
Before the event Raikes spoke to her partner, Frensham, who is the boss of Tidal Training, which provides mental health, medical and clinical, learning disability, child care, health and social care and first aid training nationwide.
He said: “It is difficult to speak about your partner.
“We both support what each other do - and she supports me immensely. I see Clare every day, all day and I see the effort she puts into the campaign.
“I think people need to understand this is not her job. It is her hobby. What a hobby!
“She somehow finds the time to knock on people’s doors and push them open. I remember when she was just beginning and she said ‘all she wanted was for people to say ‘yes’’.
“She was told ‘this is not going to work and this will not happen’. What they didn’t know was that was the wrong thing to say to Clare.
“I was with Nick Anderson, who used to be the ceo of Spirax Sarco, and he heard what she was trying to do and he said he would donate 10 defibrillators.
“When I went home and told her she burst into tears. That is how much she cares.
“Slowly, one turned into two turned into 10, and it kept going. When you point out what she has done she will turn and say ‘it’s not me, it’s the family’.
“She is not doing this for money for recognition. She is doing it to make a difference. We have not got any children to leave something to, but we would like to leave something meaningful and this is what she has chosen to give to Cheltenham.
“We know we are lucky to live here, and it is such a wonderful town. I think what we are seeing with the passion people have put into the campaign shows you just how wonderful it is.”
Before the evening wrapped up Bruce Gregory, managing director of the MX, also home to the town’s Growth Hub and Hub 8 - the unofficial headquarters of the county’s cyber sector - also took to the microphone to pay tribute to Seed.
The MX is the home of the campaign’s hundredth defibrillator, which had minutes before been blessed by Father Liubomyr Pidluskyi of the Ukrainian Catholic.
In a small but significant gesture Bruce presented Seed with a lifetime membership of the MX, by way of a ‘thank you’ for what she has done.
Both he and many others in the room hope her efforts and what she has helped achieve are honoured more formally by those who run the town.
All of Public Hearts defibs are registered on The Circuit – The National Defibrillator Network used by all UK NHS Ambulance Services.
When a defibrillator is registered on The Circuit, its location and status is instantly synchronised with the Ambulance services’ 999 systems ensuring that their information is always up to date and ready to help save lives by directing callers to the nearest available and accessible unit in the event of a medical emergency / cardiac arrest.