South Western Railway (SWR) will install lifesaving defibrillators in all 154 of the staffed stations, including Berkshire, after grieving parent launches project in honour of son.

The publicly accessible automated external defibrillators will be in stations across Berkshire, Southwest London, Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire, Somerset and Devon.

The defibrillators will be placed in protective cabinets as close as possible to the front entrance of the stations, to be used day or night. Station staff and local ambulance services will be given codes for the cabinet that they can share with the public in an emergency.

The announcement of the defibrillator installation project coincided with the naming of an SWR train after the Alex Wardle Foundation, in a ceremony held at London Waterloo station on Tuesday, March 14.

SWR has partnered with the Alex Wardle Foundation to help raise awareness of sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS), when someone dies suddenly and unexpectedly from a cardiac arrest.

The charity was set up in memory of Alex Wardle, a medical student and son of an SWR operations trainer, who passed away from SADS in March 2016.

Since it was set up, SWR has raised more than £7000 for the charity to contribute community defibrillators as well as training courses for their use. This also inspired SWR’s decision to fund defibrillators for all its staffed stations.

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Alex Wardle’s father and founder of the Alex Wardle Foundation, Steve Wardle, said: “It is wonderful to see this vision come to life. Having worked on the railway for nearly 40 years, I am thankful of the railway family’s support. March 2023 will mark seven years since Alex’s death and, although I am still a grieving parent, I feel proud of everything that we have achieved to support our community.

“This is such a momentous occasion and a showcase of everyone’s dedication. Defibrillators save lives and I hope that one day, if needed, it will save someone and their family true heartbreak. We are extremely grateful, and this is such an exciting opportunity.”

SWR, one of the largest train operators in the country, have invested more than half-a-million-pounds in the project as part of its commitment to community safety.

The rollout across 154 stations will begin this month and is expected to be completed in the summer.