A community centre in Falmouth, Cornwall, has received a life-saving defibrillator as part of STA’s 2025 Community Heart STArters campaign, becoming the eleventh organisation to benefit from the charity initiative.

Pendennis Community Centre forms part of an ambitious community-led project to regenerate the former Ships and Castles Leisure Centre site into a thriving Community Sport, Leisure and Wellbeing Centre. Operated by Pendennis Leisure CIO, the centre aims to enhance health and wellbeing for residents across Falmouth, Penryn, Mabe and the surrounding areas, serving a population of approximately 54,000 people.

Following the closure of the leisure centre in 2022, the site was protected from sale and redevelopment through a Devolution Deal secured by Falmouth Town Council. Pendennis Leisure took over the lease in August 2023 and has since reopened the site as Pendennis Community Centre, providing a wide range of activities while working towards securing long-term funding to reopen a sustainable swimming and leisure facility.

The community centre now welcomes hundreds of people of all ages each week, taking part in fitness classes, community events and wellbeing activities. With such high and varied footfall, access to a defibrillator was identified as an essential safety measure to protect participants, volunteers and visitors.

On receiving the news about the donation, Gemma Adams from Pendennis Community Centre said: “We’re all over the moon and so grateful to receive this defibrillator. It will make a real difference to our staff, volunteers and community members, who will feel reassured knowing the equipment is there and accessible if ever needed. We also plan to provide appropriate training to ensure people feel confident using it.”

Dave Candler, CEO of STA, said: “Pendennis Community Centre is a powerful example of how communities can come together to protect vital local facilities and create opportunities that support health and wellbeing. With so many people using the centre each week, having access to life-saving equipment is essential. We’re delighted to support Pendennis Leisure with this donation and help strengthen safety for the community they serve.”

All defibrillators donated through the Community Heart STArters campaign are registered on The Circuit, the British Heart Foundation’s national defibrillator network. This ensures emergency services can direct 999 callers to the nearest available device when every second counts.