Aim

Help us fund a public defibrillator at Chesil Beach Abbotsbury, giving everyone a better chance in a cardiac emergency.

The Story

Every year, thousands of people visit Chesil Beach in Abbotsbury. It's one of Dorset's most iconic coastal destinations, attracting anglers, walkers on the South West Coast Path, families, birdwatchers and visitors of all ages from across the UK and beyond.

But despite being such a popular location, there is currently a lack of publicly accessible defibrillators along the Chesil coastline.

When Sally, owner of Chesil Beach Café, started thinking about how the café could give something back to the community, one idea kept coming back: what if we could help save a life?

She shared that idea with Wayne, better known as The Shore Hunter. Through his passion for fishing and his large online community, Wayne has seen just how many people spend time on our coastline every day. He immediately recognised how important it would be to have a defibrillator available in an emergency and wanted to help spread the message.

To make sure the project was built on the right foundations, they teamed up with James from Chesil First Aid Training, whose experience in first aid and emergency response brings invaluable knowledge and guidance to the campaign.

Together, the three of them have launched Chesil Heartbeat.

Our first goal is simple: to install a publicly accessible, registered defibrillator at Chesil Beach, Abbotsbury.

Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, at any age, without warning. Having a defibrillator nearby, combined with early CPR, can dramatically improve the chances of survival while emergency services are on their way. On a remote stretch of coastline like Chesil Beach, where ambulance response times can be affected by location and access, every second really does matter.

This campaign is about giving local people and visitors the best possible chance should the unthinkable happen.

How your donations will help

Every penny raised will go towards:

• Purchasing a high-quality public access defibrillator (AED)
• A secure, weatherproof external cabinet
• Installation at Chesil Beach, Abbotsbury
• Registration with the South Western Ambulance Service and The Circuit, the UK's national defibrillator network
• Initial maintenance and replacement consumables to keep the unit rescue-ready

Any funds raised beyond our target will be ring-fenced for the ongoing maintenance of the defibrillator and to support future lifesaving equipment in the local area.

Our Vision

This campaign starts with one defibrillator.

One location.
One community.
One opportunity to save a life.

If the community gets behind this first project, our longer-term ambition is to inspire similar initiatives at other key locations nearby on the Chesil coastline, helping create a safer coastline for everyone who lives here and everyone who comes to enjoy it.

Whether you're an angler watching the sunrise, a family enjoying a day at the beach, a walker tackling the South West Coast Path, or simply stopping for a coffee at Chesil Beach Cafe, this defibrillator will be there for everyone.

Together, we can make Chesil Beach a safer place.

Help us fund a lifesaving defibrillator for Chesil Beach, Abbotsbury. Every donation, no matter how big or small, brings us one step closer to making that happen. ❤️

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 1st October 2026 at 2:59pm