Homebuilder pledges £3,000 to fund defibs for grassroots football

Nottinghamshire housebuilder Barratt and David Wilson Homes has contributed £3,000 to Defibs for Grassroots Football, a charity funding defibrillators for football clubs at lower levels.

B&DWNM - AH - 29.04.2025-033 - (L-R) Joe Watson, Amanda Vennell, Beth Astle and Teron Chu in Nottingham

Donating portable defibrillators means that teams can take them to both home and away games, and the charity plans to use every penny of the housebuilder’s contribution to purchase more of the life-saving equipment. It currently has six teams on its waiting list, and this list continues to grow.

The charity’s goal is to have at least one portable defibrillator at every grassroots game throughout the UK.

Amanda Vennell, Chair at Defibs for Grassroots Football, said: “The work we do is so important. The defibrillators we give out are portable, so these are to be taken wherever the team goes and can be used by anyone who needs it. This includes anyone associated with the club, spectators, people walking their dogs on the local field where the teams play, and nearby houses.

“My son is a grassroots footballer and, with the stories that circle the media of incidents happening at the time, I questioned how safe my son’s team was. Their closest defib was about a mile away from their home ground at the time, so I decided to fundraise to purchase one.

“Once I had done that, I had a bit of money left that I was going to donate to a heart charity. When another club heard what I had done and asked if I would help them, it snowballed from there.”

Defibs for Grassroots Football first started three years ago and has since helped a large number of clubs continue to enjoy their football in a safer environment.

Amanda added: “It’s important that small charities like ours get support like this, as they are just that - small. We want to help our communities as best we can but is sometimes hard to raise funds and organise fundraising activities in the little spare time we have, although we always strive to do our best.

“This support is fundamental to getting defibrillators out into our community quicker. We would like to thank everyone over the past three years for all the support. It really does mean so much to us and to those that you are helping to keep safe.”

Barratt and David Wilson Homes’ donation was made as part of its Community Fund scheme via The Barratt Foundation. It is designed to support national and local charities, large and small, across the areas in which the housebuilder operates.

Mark Cotes, Managing Director at Barratt and David Wilson Homes North Midlands, said: “Defibs for Grassroots Football may be a small charity, but it has a big impact and its efforts to ensure people have access to life-saving equipment when needed is fantastic.

“We’re thrilled to make a contribution to the charity’s work, and to ensure even one more team is given a defibrillator makes a huge difference.”

For more information on the charity or to make a donation, visit its Facebook page at Defibs for Grassroots Football. For details about any nearby housing developments, visit the website at Barratt Homes in Nottinghamshire and David Wilson Homes in Nottinghamshire.