Milestone reached: Save a Life and the 20th public defibrillator in Mijas area – in La Cala

Gerry Hannam and his wife Jenny have witnessed the installation of the 20th publicly available AED defibrillator in the Mijas area, just one year after launching their Save a Life campaign. What started as a plan for just three units in Sitio de Calahonda has grown far beyond those early hopes.

From three to twenty in one year

Back in summer 2025 the Hannam family set out to put life-saving devices where they were badly needed. Gerry himself survived a cardiac arrest on London’s Waterloo Bridge thanks to rapid CPR and a nearby defibrillator, and local heroes who happened to be there at the time. Returning home to Calahonda in Mijas, they found almost none available to the public. Community fundraising and local business support turned that situation around. Save a Life has now funded and installed 13 units itself, helped with another five, and celebrated this latest one as the first in La Cala de Mijas. Two more came through Clive Marks and his Don’t Be A Man group, which also pushes middle-aged men to get prostate cancer checks.

New device in La Cala de Mijas

Ultimate Estates and Lifestyle Services put up €850 towards the cost, with Save a Life covering the balance. Ismael made the familiar trip from Motril once again to fit the unit, a 90-minute drive each way that he has done many times before and one of the unsung heroes of this massively successful campaign. Residents and holidaymakers can now reach the defibrillator outside the estate agents in an emergency.

More needed in La Cala

Local police cars in Mijas have carried AEDs in their boots for some time, yet questions remain over training and battery maintenance. Those details have never been made public. La Cala de Mijas still requires more publicly accessible machines so they become a common sight rather than a rarity. A year ago the Mijas area had almost none. Today there are 20 in the Mijas area.

Quick access to a defibrillator can double or triple survival chances when every second counts. Save a Life continues to encourage businesses and residents to get involved, register devices properly and learn basic CPR. Anyone wanting to help or find the nearest unit can follow updates on the campaign’s Facebook page.