This campaign calls on WI members to work together to increase public confidence and training in the delivery of CPR and to work with local organisations to help improve access to defibrillators in their communities.

It all started in Margate!

In 2024 our members were inspired after welcoming the Community Lifesavers to a meeting, where they had the chance to learn how to recognise a cardiac arrest, deliver CPR and use a defibrillator. They were also introduced to the website defibfinder.uk where they could find their nearest available defibrillator. They realised how important that knowledge could be in a medical emergency.

But there were worrying revelations too; some defibrillators are not always available, perhaps due to where they are sited, or because they are overdue for maintenance checks. Some were also not properly registered, so emergency services would never know where they were.

Members also found out that the survival rates of women having a cardiac arrest were worse than men, partially because the bra removal needed to use a defibrillator sometimes deterred people from offering rapid first aid.

It was an enlightening meeting which got members asking: ‘What can we do to improve this situation?’

The result was the creation of Bystanders Can Be Lifesavers, which was put forward to the National Federation of WIs as a proposal for a new national campaign. 

In 2025 it won the hearts of WI members across the UK, who voted for Bystanders Can Be Lifesavers to be adopted as the next big call for change by the Women’s Institute. 

We hope that by raising awareness of this issue, it will help to improve the survival rates of those who go into cardiac arrest. 

For more on the national campaign read here.

Using craftivism to spread the word

Like all good WI campaigns, Bystanders Can Be Lifesavers has an element of craftivism to it. Members make and distribute fabric stamps to help people to find their nearest defibrillator. Each one features heart-themed fabric on the front and a handwritten reminder of the defibfinder.uk website on the back. The stamps are no larger than credit card-sized, so they can fit in a wallet, purse or pocket and can be kept close for use in an emergency.