A COMMUNITY tennis club in Stoneygate, Leicester has taken steps to ensure their defibrillator is accessible to the local community with the support of a local heart charity, The Joe Humphries Memorial Trust (JHMT).

The defibrillator is prominently located on a fence in the car park close to the entrance gate of Victoria Tennis club and available to the surrounding community 24/7. The lifesaving equipment is also near the four of our five courts if an emergency occurs on those or in the clubhouse.

The external cabinet which will keep the defibrillator safe has been donated by the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust (JHMT), which works with sports clubs and community groups to raise awareness of sudden heart deaths, particularly in young people.

The club are working closely with JHMT to ensure all members of the club take part in the FREE JHMT Joe's Mini HeartStart for Sports Clubs CPR & AED familiarisation training sessions which aims to ensure sports club members, including players, officials and volunteers, know how to use a defibrillator and can perform CPR in an emergency.

Gary Petersen, Secretary of Victoria Tennis Club said: " We are so pleased that Victoria Tennis Club can now provide a heartsafe environment on and off the court for members and those who live close by in this idyllic location in the heart of the city. The club has over 100 x adults members and over 20 juniors – with ages ranging from under 5's to those in their 70's. Now the AED Is live, the feedback from members of the club and local residents has been very positive towards having one close by in case of an emergency. After all, nothing can be more important than being ready and prepared to save a life should someone fall victim to cardiac arrest.

" The club are thankful to the heart charity JHMT who very been very supportive during this period when we have been setting up the AED unit by providing us with a free AED cabinet, advice on identifying the best place to site the box, signage and resources including free training. Also it's so encouraging to see that JHMT's community awareness work over the past 12 years since the loss of young Joe ( Humphries), has resulted in more and more people taking the necessary steps to ensure this becomes standard practise in all sports clubs and at all levels. "

Kate Stock, chair of Team Leicestershire said: "As Chairman of Tennis Leicestershire, I am incredibly proud that we are the first tennis "heart safe county" in the country and what an amazing achievement this is. This has been a real collective effort from all the clubs to ensure all members continue to play and enjoy their tennis in the safest possible environment. This cardiac safety in sports initiative has already proved its worth by helping to save lives in an emergency. Thanks to Jan Phillips ( Kibworth Tennis Club) who on behalf of Team Leicestershire, has done an amazing job of working with all the clubs and the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust to make this possible."

Dr Mike Ferguson, JHMT Trustee said: "Every week throughout the year 12, seemingly fit young adults under the age of 35 die from an unexpected cardiac arrest. This is different from a heart attack as in a cardiac arrest the heart stops beating. Unless immediate resuscitation starts that person will die within 10 minutes. It's vitally important everyone learns CPR and knows how to use a defibrillator – and that public access defibrillators are readily available case of a cardiac emergency. Congratulations to Gary and everyone at Victoria Tennis Club for taking steps to create a heart safe environment on and off the court. It will also benefit the wider community in Stoneygate with the AED being available 24/7. Being prepared is key. CPR is not difficult to learn and can be taught in under an hour. Modern defibrillators are easy to use and all are equipped with vocal instructions as they are turned on.

In Leicestershire sport, there is no finer examples than the actions taken by both Tennis Leicestershire & Leicestershire and Rutland Cricket Leagues who have worked closely with JHMT to ensure all affiliated clubs have access to an onsite defibrillator and members trained in CPR. Victoria Tennis Club is another fantastic example of raising the standards of sports safety so that everyone can enjoy their sports and leisure activities in the safest possible environment."

The JHMT is a local charity which was set up in memory of Leicester teenager Joe Humphries, who in October 2012 collapsed and died while out jogging near his family home in Rothley. Joe was a victim of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) – a group of lethal heart diseases which can cause sudden cardiac death in young people.

As well as providing free CPR and defibrillator training, the JHMT works hard to raise awareness of sudden heart deaths ( SADS), helps to provide community defibrillators and runs Inspire, a local grants scheme for inspirational young people in the city and county.

To find out more about the work of the Trust, apply for training and support, or to help out with the charity's work, visit the website at www.jhmt.org.uk

You can also follow the Trust on Facebook at facebook.com/JHMTorguk and Twitter @JHMTorguk .

Note for Editors:

PHOTO LINE UP, L TO R: 2 x VPTC menbers, Gary Petersen – VPTC secretary, Craig Langton – VPTC Chair and Steve Humphries – JHMT Chair.