Dad of three first to sign up for London Life Hike and is fundraising for defibrillators

Rob Hutt, a father of three who survived a cardiac arrest, is taking part in our London Life Hike 2025 to raise vital funds for life-saving equipment in London – and is urging others to do the same.

Last summer, Rob, who was 59 at the time, collapsed while out for a run close to his home in north-west London. Luckily there were two other runners out that day who stopped and saved his life.

Rob’s survival is driving him to help others. He is now fundraising for our flagship Charity walk to save lives, the London Life Hike, which takes place on Saturday 27 September from Southwark Park Bandstand.

Rob is “incredibly lucky to be alive”, he said "it's a miracle that I'm here. I just want other people to also have a chance of life."

He explained that "we have amazing paramedics, cardiologists and NHS teams. They perform magic but they can't work their magic unless defibrillators are available for bystanders to use."

A cardiac arrest is a life-threatening emergency when the heart stops beating. When someone suffers a cardiac arrest, the use of a defibrillator sends an electric shock to the heart and this gives them the best chance of surviving alongside CPR.

Analysis by the London Ambulance Service has however revealed that dozens of neighbourhoods are 'defib deserts', where there is little or no access to this life-saving device. Our London Heart Starters campaign aims to fundraise for more defibrillators for the areas of London that need them most.

Rob narrated how "complete strangers play a crucial role in this as it was complete strangers who saved me.

"They saw what was happening and they were willing to take action. I strongly encourage people to overcome their fear of doing CPR as it's so easy to do. You can save a life like mine."

Rob explained that: “it’s a miracle I’m alive. Those strangers were responsible for that miracle. I’m taking part in this year’s London Life Hike so more miracles will happen and more lives will be saved. Since my cardiac arrest, we’ve been busy raising money in the community and involving local businesses to fund defibs locally for the Heart Starters campaign.”

Rob and Friends of Kensal Rise Library, a community-run charity for the people of Brent, have admirably set themselves a fundraising target of £12,000 to raise money to install defibrillators in Kensal Rise and the neighbouring streets in their community.

On Tuesday 14 October, London Ambulance Service will be attending Kensal Rise Library to provide free CPR training to people wanting to learn how to give first aid to people in cardiac arrest, via our London Lifesavers initiative.

Jess Burgess, Head of London Ambulance Charity, added:

“Thank you to Rob for sharing your incredible story and to everyone who has fundraised for the London Heart Starters campaign so far. Taking part in our London Life Hike on 27 September is a great way to make a lasting impact that will improve the chances of survival for our local communities. I hope many more folks will join us.”

To support our life-saving work by taking on this fitness challenge, you can register for our walk to save lives here.

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