Beechen Cliff School has become the first location in Bath to receive a public access defibrillator through a partnership between the Sam Polledri Foundation and the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity.
The new life-saving device was officially unveiled at the school on 1 June during a special event attended by pupils, staff, the Deputy Mayor of Bath and representatives from both charities.
Guests also took part in CPR and defibrillator training led by Great Western Air Ambulance Charity Defibrillator Officer Caroline Kivungi, helping them gain the skills needed to respond in a cardiac emergency.
The defibrillator has been installed for use by both the school and the wider community, improving access to potentially life-saving equipment in the event of a cardiac arrest.
Tim Markall, Headmaster of Beechen Cliff School, said, “We are honoured to receive this defibrillator, funded by the Sam Polledri Foundation. We hope we will never need to use it, but it is a great comfort to know it’s here and will increase chances of survival for our students and local community in the event of a cardiac arrest.”
Quick access to CPR and defibrillation can dramatically improve survival rates following a cardiac arrest. For every minute that passes without treatment, the chance of survival falls by around 10%.
However, only around 40% of people currently receive bystander CPR before emergency services arrive, while fewer than 2% have a defibrillator used before an ambulance reaches them.
The installation was made possible through the work of the Sam Polledri Foundation, established in memory of 24-year-old Sam Polledri, who died from a cardiac arrest in 2022.
His mother, Louise Polledri, said, “Sadly for Sam, although he was surrounded by defibrillators where he collapsed none of them were accessible to the general public. We have over 84 public defibs up now in Sam’s honour. Hopefully, many families will be spared our devastation.”
Cardiac arrests remain one of the most common emergencies attended by Great Western Air Ambulance Charity. In 2025, the charity responded to 121 incidents across Bath and North East Somerset, with cardiac arrests and road traffic collisions jointly accounting for the highest proportion of call-outs.
Through its Great Western Hearts programme, the charity has now helped install 220 public access defibrillators across the region, including those funded in partnership with the Sam Polledri Foundation.
Following the launch at Beechen Cliff School, the charity hopes to expand access to defibrillators across Bath and North East Somerset and is encouraging communities, organisations and businesses to consider installing one if there is not already a publicly accessible device within a three-minute return trip of their location.
For more information about fundraising or purchasing a community defibrillator, visit the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity website.
