MORE than 80 St Austell Brewery employees embarked on a 12-mile sponsored walk through Cornwall over the weekend (May 11) to raise funds for a life-saving cause.

Employees, their families, friends - and even some pets - set off on the trek from The Borough Arms in Bodmin along the Camel Trail to Padstow, ending at Shipwrights.

The walk was to raise funds for the company’s Heart of the Community campaign, which aims to place defibrillators at 55 of St Austell Brewery’s pubs across the South West, where there is a significant community need.

The event, which included a ribbon cutting by the Mayor of Padstow for the latest defibrillator install at the Old Custom House, raised more than £9,000 towards the campaign via the St Austell Brewery Charitable Trust.

Kevin Georgel, chief executive of St Austell Brewery, said: “The event had a fantastic turnout and there was a wonderful atmosphere.

“I’m so proud of the effort our teams - and their friends and family who joined us for the walk - have put in to backing this important campaign. We have already installed 24 defibrillators for our pub’s local communities, two of which have already saved lives. We want to keep it up and reach our target of 55 installations.”

Piers Thompson, chair of St Austell Brewery Charitable Trust added: “I was blown away with how many people came along on a sunny Saturday to participate in a sponsored walk for the charitable trust.

“It’s really admirable and all for such a vital cause. Each and every one of the team who joined us and fundraised has directly contributed to better equipping our local communities with much needed lifesaving equipment.”

There will be another charitable walk held in Bath later this year for staff at St Austell Brewery’s second brewery in Warmley.

St Austell Brewery’s pub customers can help the Heart of the Community campaign by purchasing a portion of fish & chips on the main menu (25p per portion will go towards the defibrillator campaign) or by scanning a QR code on posters. St Austell Brewery will match fund every £1 donated by the public.

St Austell Brewery has partnered up with the Ronnie Richards Memorial Charity to buy the vital equipment. Co-founders Paul and Liz Williams set up the charity in memory of Liz’s brother Ronnie, who sadly died from sudden cardiac arrest whilst playing football.

To find out more about the campaign, visit staustellbrewery.co.uk/charitable-trust/heart-of-the-community