JO Michaelides will never forget the day she became a lifesaver.

She was driving through Farnham town centre in September 2009 when Keith Aston collapsed on to the pavement.

A crowd gathered but Jo stepped forward and put the CPR skills she had recently learned to the test on a real-life patient.

“Meeting Keith on that day changed my life 100 per cent,” said Jo, now a trustee of the Aston Defibrillator Fund (ADF) launched last autumn in her patient’s memory.

“I did a first-aid course with St John’s Ambulance and later set up the Heartstart Farnham Lions group with Keith.

“Learning CPR was one of the best things I ever did. You never think you’ll have to use it and I hadn’t until that point, but I’m so glad I did.”

The lifesaver made headlines around the world but the story shows no sign of ending soon. The legacy of that event and the drive of Keith and Jo to provide Farnham residents with life-saving skills resulted in the creation of Heartstart Farnham Lions and the ADF.

The latter was launched last September in memory of Keith, a keen cyclist who died after suffering a stroke in a rural area while training for the London to Brighton bike ride in June 2018.

Their ambitious mission is to make Farnham the safest place in the world to have an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest by installing dozens, if not hundreds, of defibrillators around the town.

They’re well on their way to meeting that target as around 50 have been installed during the first six months of their campaign – but you can never have too many, according to trustee Keith Harris.

He said: “Keith had been evangelistic about Heartstart Farnham Lions. He had been a trainer for Heartstart for three years so I thought it would be great if we get something going in his memory.

“Jo and I chatted with another one of our trustees, Professor Tom Quinn, and decided we really should do something. The both of us asked the Lions if they would be prepared to launch a campaign with the ADF being started in his memory.

“It wasn’t easy to get it set up but we did and the campaign started on September 30 last year. Four months after the campaign was launched I counted a total of 47 around Farnham.”

Mr Harris added: “It’s really beginning to get momentum.

“The ADF is wonderful because it’s a community project, it isn’t a Lions project. Yes, it was kick-started by a generous donation from the Lions but the British Heart Foundation, Crondall Village Hall and lots of groups have supported it.

“The BHF reckon if you have a defibrillator within 100 yards of an incident happening you’ve got a good chance of survival, but that’s a long way off. But people need to understand a defibrillator is easy to use and can save a life.”

Professor Quinn took no persuading in getting involved, being a leading expert in emergency cardiac care at St George’s Hospital London.

He said: “Lots of people don’t have a good outcome after a cardiac arrest and there have been so many missed opportunities to help save a life.

“If you have a defibrillator nearby and in place, your chances of survival go up markedly. You could save 1,000 lives each year in England if you increase the survival rate from ten to 11 per cent, so think what it would be if a defibrillator was involved.

“I’ve used them myself in hospital and on the street while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

“Led by Jo, the aim of the ADF is to make Farnham a town of lifesavers and I think we’re well on the way.”

This month coincides with the campaign’s six-month review but it’s got off to “phenomenal” start, according to Mr Harris.

He said: “People who engage with us have often had a personal experience or know someone who has.

“I certainly have because I had to get involved in a real-life case at Country Market two years ago. When you realise you may actually save someone’s life, the knowledge becomes very powerful.

“The chances of surviving without CPR following a cardiac arrest are around eight to ten per cent. With it, it’s 60 to 80.”

Two of the more recent defibrillators were installed on the external wall of the Weydon Christian Centre in Upper Way and in the premises of A&D Car Care Services on the Guildford Road Trading Estate. Jo used the occasion to highlight the campaign’s success.

She said: “I am delighted to see the ADF initiative really beginning to fulfil the vision of being a true community project, and these two installations go further to show the reach the project is starting to achieve.”

n For more information about the ADF and details about getting a defibrillator installed near you, look for Aston Defibrillator Fund on Facebook.