News / KNowle West
Community defibrillator installed after fundraiser
A new community defibrillator has been installed in south Bristol after a fundraiser by a local martial arts club.
Aftermath BJJ Knowle hosted a 24-hour grapplethon in October 2022 to raise £2,000 for the life-saving device.
The defibrillator in Barnstaple Court, at the back of the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu club on Filwood Broadway, is believed to be the only public access one in the Knowle West area.
is needed now More than ever
“If someone has a heart attack in Knowle West, the person with them is going to be here within minutes because we’re on their doorstep,” says Aftermath BJJ instructor Nick Jordan.
“I hope it never has to be used but if it does and someone does have a heart attack, hopefully it will bring them back to life,” he adds.
Registered with the South Western Ambulance Service, the machine talks the operator through every step of life-saving CPR and defibrillation, and is accessed by a code handed over by 999 call operators.
A martial arts club in Knowle West hosted a 24-hour grapplethon to raise funds for a new community defibrillator – photo: Charlie Watts
Aftermath BJJ has been based on Filwood Broadway – the local high street in Knowle West which recently received a £15m investment – since the start of 2022.
Formerly known as Gracie Barra Knowle, the Jiu Jitsu club was previously based at Filwood Community Centre, where it started in 2016.
The club, which also hosts yoga and wrestling, is open seven days a week, running classes for four-year-olds upwards.
Nick added: “Some of the kids we got started off being very timid, bullied in school but we’ve built their confidence up, and confident kids don’t get bullied.”
The public access defibrillator, which is believed to be the only one in the Knowle West area, is in Barnstaple Court, at the back of the Jiu Jitsu club – photo: Charlie Watts
Charlie Watts is reporting on Knowle West as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media
Main photo: Charlie Watts
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