Always on
This project successfully funded on 15th July 2026, you can still support them with a donation.
Cullompton Scout Group Community Defibrillator
Cullompton, Devon, United Kingdom
Aim
Help keep Cullompton Scouts' public-access defibrillator maintained, rescue-ready and available to everyone, 24 hours a day.
In 2021, Cullompton Scout Group made a decision that went beyond Scouting.
We recognised that our community needed access to a publicly available defibrillator and, using charitable funds raised by the Scout Group, we purchased, installed and continue to maintain a public-access AED on the outside of the Scout Centre.
The defibrillator is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for anyone who may need it. Whether you are a local resident, visitor, hall user, Scout volunteer, parent, young person or passer-by, the defibrillator is there for the whole community.
We also maintain a second portable AED which accompanies our young people and volunteers on camps, hikes, expeditions and other adventurous activities, helping to keep those taking part in Scouting safe wherever they are.
Since installation, the public-access AED has been deployed on five occasions by the ambulance service in response to medical emergencies within our community. While we hope it is never needed, those deployments demonstrate exactly why public access defibrillators matter.
A cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time. Early access to a defibrillator can significantly improve a person's chances of survival while waiting for emergency services to arrive.
Many people assume that once a defibrillator is installed, the costs end there. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
To remain rescue-ready, the unit requires ongoing inspection, maintenance and replacement consumable parts. The electrode pads must be replaced regularly and immediately after use. The battery has a limited lifespan and requires replacement every five years regardless of whether the unit has been used. These components are specialist medical equipment and can be surprisingly expensive.
We have recently incurred significant costs replacing the main battery and consumable items to ensure the unit remains fully operational and ready for the next emergency.
Our vision is simple.
We want to ensure that Cullompton continues to have access to a fully maintained, publicly accessible defibrillator, available every hour of every day, for as long as it is needed.
Every penny raised through this appeal will be ring-fenced exclusively for the public-access community defibrillator. Funds will be used for maintenance, replacement batteries, replacement pads, servicing, inspections and future equipment replacement when required.
We have approached Cullompton Town Council for support and are awaiting the outcome of that request. However, we believe that a community asset used by the whole community is something the whole community can help sustain.
Cullompton Scout Group is proud to provide this life-saving resource, but we cannot do it alone.
If you are able to contribute, no matter how small the amount, you will be helping to ensure that this vital piece of equipment remains available, maintained and ready to respond when every second counts.
Thank you for your support.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made