Defibrillator installed following inspired fundraising by local residents

A new potentially life-saving defibrillator has been installed in the Cynon Valley thanks to fund raising by local residents and a council grant.

The equipment is now in place in Bron-Y-Deri, situated in the Mountain Ash East ward following the efforts of the community and a successful grant application to Rhondda Cynon Taf Council.

In 2019, a small group of residents led by Bryn Williams were inspired to raise money for something that would benefit their local community, and decided that the installation of a brand new defibrillator would be immensely valuable in their local area.

The first round of fund raising saw the group going door-to-door singing Christmas carols in 2019, with many residents giving generously – resulting in over £700 being raised. A further £300 was then raised through a community raffle, meaning that the group had enough to purchase the defibrillator from Welsh Hearts, the Heart Charity for Wales.

Despite having the £1,000 for the defibrillator, the group still required a further £500 to purchase the box to house the equipment. Through the support of Councillor Andrew Morgan, who is also one of the elected members for the Mountain Ash West ward, the group successfully applied for funding through the council’s Community Activity Fund which enabled the housing unit to be purchased.

Local resident Bryn Williams, who led the community group said: “After 16 months of hard work, it’s fantastic to see the defibrillator and its housing unit installed at Bron-Y-Deri.

“Once again, Mountain Ash has shown tremendous community spirit with residents generously donating to this invaluable piece of equipment that could literally be the difference between life and death.

“I’d like to thank all of those who were involved throughout the process – including Welsh Hearts, Lewis Memorials who gave a contribution to the plaque, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council and Councillor Andrew Morgan.”

Council leader, Councillor Andrew Morgan, added: “It was a pleasure to attend the official unveiling ceremony for the new defibrillator in Bron-Y-Deri and seeing the fantastic efforts of local residents coming to fruition.

“Their dedication and hard work in raising money for such a worthwhile cause should be recognised and commended, and I was pleased to be able to support them in applying for funding from RCT Council to ensure that they could realise their ambition to have a defibrillator installed to benefit the local community.”