Derby County played their part in the Sky Bet EFL Every Minute Matters Relay on Tuesday with five members of Derby County Community Trust’s staff and board, alongside local esteemed actor and Rams fan Robert Lindsay, cycling the 28km distance to Notts County’s Meadow Lane.
Emma Pilgrim, Richard Mansfield, Jacob Straw, Dawn Spendlove and Mike Evans from the Community Trust volunteered to represent the club on their leg of the event, joining countless others from across the country who have taken part in the relay to date.
The campaign has been designed to shine a light on the British Heart Foundation’s RevivR tool, which aims to teach the basics of CPR in just 15 minutes - equipping participants with the skills to potentially save a life. Unlike most charity events, this relay isn’t asking for financial donations. Instead, it’s all about giving the gift of time.
All 72 clubs in the EFL are taking part in a leg in a 4,000km relay route that will see participants either run, walk and cycle between the 72 stadiums on the way to the finish line at Wembley Stadium on 21st April.
Football legends, celebrities and real-life heroes are also taking part across all clubs, with Robert Lindsay representing Derby County as part of proceedings on Tuesday morning at Pride Park Stadium ahead of the cycle to the other side of Brian Clough Way.
Alongside the riders were the club’s designated ambassadors - Megan Tinsley and Jas Gidda - both of whom have experienced the first-hand effects of cardiac events.
Tinsley, a first-team player for Derby County Women, was diagnosed with atrial septal defect (ASD) at just three years old. After receiving surgery aged five, she has been able to pursue a career in the women’s game. However, some further complications in late 2022 led to her having a loop recorder fitted to keep her heart health in check and she has since returned to action for Sam Griffiths’ side prior to suffering a long-term ankle injury last year.
She was asked to be an official ambassador for Every Minute Matters campaign when it was launched at Wembley and she said: “It’s massive for the EFL and Sky Bet to champion such a campaign. When I got asked to be an ambassador I was so surprised, and when you see the celebrities and ex-professionals that have all got on board with this relay it has been unbelievable.”
Gidda, a member of the Punjabi Rams and representative on the club’s Supporters’ Board, added: “I had a heart attack in June 2022, and it came completely unexpectedly. I didn’t recognise the symptoms I had as a heart attack at all. I just felt unwell, but as it was first thing in the morning it didn’t seem right, so I called 111 and they sent an ambulance.
“I had a stent fitted and went through hospital rehabilitation before being signposted to the Community Trust’s Cardiac Rehab programme which had just started at that time. It’s been so important in keeping me motivated, not just physically, but the mental wellbeing support and the kinship with others who are going through similar situations - just to check in on what medication we’ve found works, and gaining advice from one another is what’s been invaluable.”
The individuals echoed the importance of the campaign and the education that it’s promoting - both the knowledge of what to look out for as symptoms of a potential cardiac event, and also the awareness of how to respond in an emergency where CPR could be vital.
Sky Bet has already committed to donating up to £3 million to support the vital work of the British Heart Foundation, and now, they’re calling on football fans to get involved by donating just 15 minutes of their time to learn CPR through BHF’s free, online tool RevivR.
You can show your support by donating just 15 minutes of your time to learn CPR using the British Heart Foundation’s online tool RevivR.
