Founder 'over the moon' after good Samaritan cleans vandalised defibrillator

A life-saving Norwich defibrillator which was vandalised with graffiti has been cleaned up by a selfless city man.

Jayne Biggs of Bradwell, near Gorleston-on-Sea, set up Heart 2 Heart in 2016 to provide 24/7 public access defibrillators - a device that gives a high energy electric shock to the heart of someone who is in cardiac arrest - that can be used in case of an emergency.

One of the "defibs" - outside the Garage Centre for Performing Arts in Chapel Field North - was found vandalised with bright green graffiti on Sunday, July 24.

Jayne discovered the green graffiti on the Norwich defibrillator on Sunday, July 24 (Image: Jayne Biggs)

But not long after seeing the story of the defibrillator's vandalism in the Evening News, Jayne was contacted by Jimmy Rennie of Norwich City Services who had already removed the graffiti with industry-grade cleaning equipment.

Jimmy Rennie, who cleaned Jayne's defibrillator in Chapel Field North, Norwich (Image: Jimmy Rennie)

Such a small gesture from Jimmy meant the world to Jayne.

Jayne said: "It was absolutely lovely. He just went down there and cleaned it off.

"He also said if anything happens again to defibs in the city to give him a ring.

The life-saving defibrillator sits outside the Garage Centre for Performing Arts in Chapel Field North, Norwich (Image: Maya Derrick)

"I'm thrilled. I really appreciate the fact that he'd actually bothered.

"I'm really humbled."

Jimmy, 68, who has worked for city services for 11 years, added: "I'm glad it's made her day. She sounded upset when she shared about it being vandalised so I thought I could get that off.

Jimmy removed the graffiti from the defibrillator with industry-standard cleaning products (Image: Maya Derrick)

"I'm happy because she's happy."

Modest and not doing it for the glory, Jimmy said he went down to clean the defibrillator without a second thought.

"I can't understand why anyone would do such a thing," he added.

Fifty-year-old Jayne set up her non-profit charity after her daughter Violet - then aged seven - had a sudden cardiac arrest at home nine years ago and was saved by a defibrillator.

Jayne Biggs and her daughter Violet, 16. When Violet was seven she suffered a cardiac arrest and a defibrillator saved her life (Image: Jayne Biggs)

She and her husband performed CPR for seven minutes before the paramedics arrived.

Soon after the incident Violet was then diagnosed with a sudden death condition - the same that Eriksen suffered with at the 2020 Euros.

The Heart 2 Heart defibrillator in Chapel Field North, Norwich - outside the Garage Centre for Performing Arts (Image: Maya Derrick)

Jayne hopes that by funding defibrillators - of which she has 260 across Norfolk and Suffolk - will save the lives of people facing a cardiac emergency, regardless of age.