The family of a biker from Forden who passed away from a heart attack has paid tribute to him with a live saving initiative in Wales.

A fundraiser in memory of David Jones, a biker from Forden who passed away in Llandovery after suffering from a heart attack, has managed to raise funds for several life saving defibrillators at spots across Wales.

Mr Jones was at well-known bikers cafe The Owl's Nest, in Llandovery, on August 11 when he suffered a heart attack. With the nearest ambulance hours away from being able to reach him, two members of South Wales Female Bikers transported him to hospital. Despite undergoing surgery, Mr Jones died a week later on August 18.

Mr Jones partner, Janette Hurst, said: “We don’t realise how many desolate areas there are, areas that are miles away from anything and in desperate need of medical devices in case of emergencies.

“Lots of biker stops are out in the wild, in rural areas, so there would be no hope at all for anyone in a similar situation.

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“The fact it would have taken an ambulance eight hours to reach Dave is unbelievable. Had his heart stopped it’s certain he would have died at the scene.”

As well as the lengthy wait for an ambulance, the closest defibrillator was on a fire engine and not available when the emergency happened.

Shortly after Mr Jones’ heart attack, the two bikers who took him to hospital set up a JustGiving page to buy a defibrillator for the Owl's Nest café and within two hours had raised £2,100. In the month since that figure has gone up to more than £6,000, enough to buy five defibrillators.

In the weeks since, a defibrillator has been installed at The Owl's Nest and at The Baffle Haus in Abergavenny in September.

(Image: Dave's Defib)

The fundraising has now become too big for the ladies to manage but they've been asked to join 'Make Your Mark, a national biker-related charity that is more national, while the fundraiser (which can be found here) he still active.

Ms Hurst added: “The support has been absolutely overwhelming. What they’ve done and people’s generosity will hopefully save so many lives.

“What’s come out of that awful day is a wonderful legacy for anyone to have. I’m very proud of what’s been achieved.

"The fact that the defibrillators will be at biker stops across Wales means a lot as well, helping a community that was close to Dave’s heart and was there to help him when he really needed it.”

Liam Williams, Executive Director of Quality and Nursing at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “We would like to extend our sincere condolences to Mr Jones’ loved ones and commend the efforts of his family and friends to raise money for a defibrillator.

“Poor ambulance response times are a symptom of much broader system-wide pressures, which we are working with Welsh Government and health boards to address.

“We are also actively looking at what we can do to use the skills of our people differently to ensure that patients get right care or advice, in the right place, every time.

“We would invite Mr Jones’ family to contact us directly so that we can better understand their concerns and answer any questions they might have.”