We are proud to announce a joint initiative with the Community Foundation for Calderdale and IOU Hebden Bridge Hostel to install a defibrillator outside the hostel alongside the Birchcliffe Centre on Birchcliffe Road. Following an initial donation of £600 from Calderdale’s Community Fund, our Club approved a grant of £808.80 for the balance, making this essential safety equipment accessible to all members of the hillside community—not just hostel guests.  Pennine Heritage Trustee Alex Taylor will provide the practical skills to install the unit.

IOU Hebden Bridge Hostel is part of the IOU Creation Centre, an arts charity based in Dean Clough, Halifax. The hostel hosts an artist in residence and provides affordable, inclusive accommodation to families, cyclists, walkers, bands, community groups, and retreat guests. With fully wheelchair-accessible indoor and outdoor spaces, IOU demonstrates a strong commitment to diversity and community engagement. All staff are first-aid trained, and this project emerged from the recognition that rapid access to a defibrillator—ideally within three minutes of a cardiac arrest—can raise survival rates above 50%.

Currently, the nearest public defibrillators are at Hebden Bridge Train Station and the Town Hall, each at least a 15-minute round trip. By installing this unit on the hillside, we’ll dramatically reduce response times in the event of an emergency. Installation will be provided in kind by Alex Taylor, electrician and trustee of the Birchcliffe Centre, and supported by Pennine Heritage’s in-kind contribution of the power supply and cabinet mounting.

Congratulations to hostel manager Jill Penny for initiating the project and getting it underway!  We hope the defibrillator will never be needed – but in case of emergency it could make all the difference!

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