Maverick Stars Trust to provide 50 defibs to member clubs

Maverick Stars Trust has launched a nationwide initiative to provide vital defibrillators and CPR awareness for England Boxing member clubs.

Sudden cardiac arrest in young people – including high-profile athletes – has increasingly been making headlines in recent years.

Helping to educate and enable people to act when an incident occurs is a cause close to the heart of Maverick ambassador April Hunter, whose family has established the charity PGCPR, which has set up a free app that assists in delivering CPR.

The Geordie boxer’s cousin, Paul Gardner, died on his 24th birthday while on holiday in 2018 and April has campaigned for better CPR awareness ever since.

“He (Paul) was in Ibiza with his friends and he got into difficulty in the water,” April explained. “He was the only one who knew CPR. He was still breathing; his heart was still beating when he was out of the water.

“Even if someone knew CPR, you never know, but it would have been nice if someone there had given him the best chance. I want to highlight the importance of CPR and defibs.”

Each year in the UK there are more than 30,000 ‘out-of-hospital’ cardiac arrests. The survival rate is less than one in 10. In some cases, performing CPR can more than double the chances of survival.

Maverick Stars Trust is now committed to providing 50 defibrillators to amateur boxing clubs most in need.

It will help meet the requirement that every England Boxing member club will need to have access to and know how to use a life-saving defibrillator by 1st June 2022.

Resources will be shared equally among the English regions and the charity is working closely with England Boxing to ensure the defibs get to the right places.

April’s friend and training partner Savannah Marshall has also pledged her support to the Maverick Stars defib campaign.

The middleweight world champion – who was National Elite Champion for Hartlepool Headland in 2009 – attended a recent meeting to launch the campaign alongside football legend and Maverick ambassador Shay Given.

England Boxing are asking clubs to fill out an Expression of Interest form to be in with a chance of receiving at defib from Maverick Stars Trust by clicking here. Applications must be received no later than 23rd January 2022.  

Successful clubs will be contacted in early February 2022. If your club is not contacted by that time, but is still in need of support to obtain a defibrillator, please contact your regional Club Support Officer.

All data will be held in accordance with England Boxing’s Privacy Policy.

Founded by Charlotte Gilley to ‘Change the Lives of Young People,’ Maverick Stars Trust successfully works across amateur and professional boxing.

The charity boasts an impressive case study list. The goal now is to raise awareness of current initiatives, encourage partnerships with business, education, and sports organisations, whilst continuing to grow by supporting the right projects and developing programmes and events.