AEDdonate chief executive Jamie Richards and Joe Dean will take on a 20-mile charity walk around Stone on Friday 16 October 2026, with plans to check all 50 of the town’s public access defibrillator sites.
The Lifesaving Challenge will raise money to maintain community defibrillators and support free CPR and defibrillator awareness training. Two new defibrillator sites are also due to be officially opened during the day.
The walk coincides with Restart a Heart Day, an annual campaign promoting CPR skills and awareness of cardiac arrest.
AEDdonate says Jamie and Joe will carry out comprehensive health checks along the route, checking that each defibrillator is maintained, registered and ready for use.
They will also speak to residents about where to find their nearest defibrillator and how to use it. Visits to local schools will include free CPR and defibrillator awareness sessions, aimed at helping young people gain the confidence to act in an emergency.
The two new sites will be at Coffee n’ Cones at Downs Banks and The Pheasant pub. According to the charity, both have been partly funded through the walking challenge and support from its Stone charity shops.
What the fundraising will support
The challenge has a £2,500 fundraising target. Donations will help AEDdonate maintain existing defibrillators, replace expired pads and batteries, repair or replace damaged cabinets and carry out routine safety checks.
Funds will also support new installations, registration of new defibrillators with the local ambulance service, and free CPR and defibrillator awareness training in schools, workplaces and community groups across Stone and Staffordshire.
AEDdonate says previous fundraising has helped support defibrillators at Walton Duck Pond, Oatcakes & Milkshakes, The Coppice Estate, Meaford Day Nursery, The Borehole, Starbucks in Stone and Regent Travel.
Readers can find out more and donate through AEDdonate’s Lifesaving Challenge page.
