Every life-changing story begins with a single “moment.” For Clare Parish, that moment arrived on January 29, 2022. What was supposed to be a typical Saturday following Fulham FC turned into a public tragedy that would ultimately spark a community-wide mission to save lives.
The Last Day of “Normal”
Before the world shifted, Clare was navigating a high-stress job that frequently demanded her attention from 6 a.m. until 2 a.m. the following day. Relying heavily on her parents for childcare and emotional support, she had finally handed in her notice to reclaim her work-life balance.
In a cruel twist of fate, her very first day of freedom was the day her father, Paul, passed away. She had looked forward to a “lovely spring and a lovely summer” spent with her family—a future that was rewritten in the third minute of a football match.
The Day the Crowd Went Silent
Football was the language Clare shared with her dad. Their relationship was built on a foundation of away-day coach journeys, word puzzles, and bags of mint assortments. On that January afternoon, Paul arrived uncharacteristically late and flustered due to chaotic traffic.
Moments after celebrating a Fulham goal, Paul collapsed in his seat. He was in cardiac arrest.
Clare recalls the terrifying sensation of the “carpet being swept from under her” as she realized she didn’t know how to help. While off-duty police officers and medics performed CPR and used a defibrillator for 45 minutes in the stands, Clare felt “frozen in fear” and “blimmin’ useless”.
Despite a standing ovation from 18,500 fans as he was carried out, Paul arrested again in the ambulance and passed away at Charing Cross Hospital.
From Anger to Action
In the weeks that followed, Clare felt a profound sense of injustice. She discovered that basic life support training often cost hundreds of pounds—a financial barrier that prevented many, including herself, from knowing how to save a life.
Driven by a mix of impulse, passion, and the need to ensure her father didn’t “die in vain,” she founded The Paul Allen Project. The mission was simple: provide free basic life support training to anyone who wants it.
The Legacy of the “Defib Lady”
Today, Clare is known to many as the “Defib Lady,” a title she embraces even as she works to rediscover her own identity outside of the charity. Her impact has been monumental:
- A Community of Lifesavers: She has trained over 2,500 people in basic life support skills for free.
- Defibrillator Provision: The project has installed 60 fully accessible, 24/7 defibrillators across the community.
- Real-Life Impact: Her training has already empowered others to save lives, with former trainees reporting they “heard Claire’s voice” in their ears during emergencies.
“You Can’t Make it Worse”
Clare’s training style is unique because it comes from a place of lived experience rather than a textbook. Her core message to anyone facing an emergency is to “get stuck in”. She reminds us that a person in cardiac arrest is already in the worst possible situation; you cannot make it worse by trying to help.
When Clare said goodbye to her father at the hospital, she promised to make him proud. With thousands of people now equipped to save lives in his name, there is no doubt that the “echo” of Paul Allen is one of hope and survival.
Watch or listen to Clare’s full story on Episode 02 of Moment and the Echo.
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