Life-saving equipment in community is Lord Mayor’s legacy

The Jalaram temple on Leicester’s Narborough Road is the latest city building to be fitted with a community public access defibrillator, or CPAD, making it available for use at any time of the day or night.

It’s one of 14 installed in Leicester this year alone, thanks in part to the support of Cllr Aldred who has chosen to raise funds for local heart charity, the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust (JHMT), during her mayoral year.

Other sites include the Peepul Centre in Belgrave, the Pork Pie Library in Eyres Monsell, and the Asha Pharmacy in Thurncourt.

All were chosen following the mapping of provision of CPADS across the city, which identified gaps in certain areas.

A total of 30 CPADS are being installed across Leicester as part of the Heartshield project - a partnership between Leicester City Council’s public health team, East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) and the JHMT.

Lord Mayor Cllr Aldred said: It’s been a privilege to work with the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust and other partners to help to raise the funds for these vital pieces of equipment, and to raise awareness of how they save lives.

“Over the past year we have worked with people from different communities across the city who have committed to making this possible, and to taking action that could one day save somebody’s life. I’m very proud to have been able to support this important cause.”

Cllr Vi Dempster, asst city mayor for public health said:“Around 30,000 people in Leicester live with at least one cardiovascular condition, so it’s really important that we do all we can to make this life-saving equipment available.

“I’d like to thank the Lord Mayor for her incredible support with this over the past year, and for helping us to continue with our efforts to make Leicester a Heartsafe city.”

Dr Mike Ferguson, JHMT medical trustee said: “Every year in the UK there are 60,000 cardiac arrests - that’s one every 10 seconds. Half of these are witnessed, yet only 10% of people survive. It can happen to anyone, and any age, including young people due to inherited heart conditions like SADS.  It’s therefore vitally important to make defibrillators publicly accessible, and to ensure people know how to use them, and how to give CPR.

“We are very grateful for the Lord Mayor’s support in increasing provision over the past year, especially in those areas identified as having very limited access to this key lifesaving equipment.”

In a cardiac emergency, immediate CPR and defibrillation can increase the chances of survival to over 50%.

Find out more about the work of the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust here: Breaking the Silence on SADS | Joe Humphries Memorial Trust (JHMT)

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Leicester City Council News Published on Wednesday, May 13, 2026