STA is pleased to announce that Celtic Leisure has been selected as the second recipient of a life-saving defibrillator through its 2025 Community HEART STArters campaign. This year-long charitable initiative from STA, aims to grant defibrillators to leisure and aquatics-based charities across the UK, reinforcing the importance of quick emergency response in life-threatening situations.

As a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to providing high-quality leisure and fitness services across Neath Port Talbot (NPT), Celtic Leisure remains steadfast in its commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of the local community. A crucial aspect of this commitment lies in ensuring access to inclusive and engaging aquatic programmes, as well as maintaining the highest safety standards across all facilities

The newly donated defibrillator will be installed at Aqua Splash on Aberavon Beachfront, further strengthening the organisation’s commitment to public safety. Given its popularity among families and children, having immediate access to life-saving equipment is essential in ensuring rapid response to sudden cardiac emergencies.

The defibrillator at Aqua Splash will not only serve facility users but will also be accessible to the wider community, including beachgoers, walkers, and leisure visitors. As part of its dedication to water safety, Celtic Leisure will also ensure that trained staff members are prepared to administer emergency care swiftly and effectively before paramedics arrive.

Gareth Lee Jones, Assistant Manager at Celtic Leisure’s Aberavon Leisure and Fitness Neath Leisure Centre, said: “I am delighted to hear that our application for a defibrillator has been successful. This will be a valuable asset in ensuring the safety of our visitors and the local community when attending the Aqua Splash at Aberavon Beachfront, and we are extremely grateful for the support from STA and the Community Heart Starters campaign.”

STA launched its Community HEART STArters campaign earlier this year, with the goal of equipping more charitable leisure organisations with defibrillators to improve survival rates in cardiac incidents.

“We know that defibrillators save lives, and through this campaign, our goal in 2025 is to provide more charitable leisure organisations, like Celtic Leisure, with the resources they need to respond quickly in an emergency,” said Dave Candler, CEO of STA. “The statistics show that using an AED within the first three to five minutes of a cardiac arrest can increase survival rates significantly. As the primary provider of grassroots swimming and water safety education in NPT, we are proud to support Celtic Leisure in ensuring their community has access to this vital equipment.”

As part of STA’s initiative, all donated defibrillators must be registered on The Circuit, the British Heart Foundation’s UK-wide mapping system. This ensures ambulance services can direct callers to the nearest available defibrillator while awaiting emergency medical assistance.