Fulham versus Blackpool in January 2022 will stay with anyone who was at the game for a long, long time.
The match itself, a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage, was largely uneventful. But for one family it was life-changing, as shortly after Aleksandar Mitrović had put the Whites ahead, Paul Parish – beloved husband, father and grandfather – suffered a cardiac arrest.
In his memory, his daughter Clare established the Paul Alan Project, a charity initiative that provides free life support training and raises funds for the provision and installation of public access defibrillators.
As part of Heart Month this February, the Club invited Clare – along with her colleague Chris Hunt – to Motspur Park to deliver a session to staff and players, with Tom Cairney, Antonee Robinson and Harrison Reed all educated in how to administer CPR and use a defibrillator.
Have a watch of Clare's story, and her visit to Motspur, in the below video.
“Whether you are a Fulham or Blackpool supporter, everybody who was at that game was part of that tragedy, was part of something that made everyone go home and hug their loved ones that little bit tighter,” Clare says.
“Seeing the guys and hearing them talk about that day and the impact it had, it was really traumatic for them, and it feels like we’re all a part of it together. It’s not just my charity, it’s not just my Dad’s legacy, this is everyone’s charity. Because everyone has a heart, everyone should know how to save a life if somebody’s heart stops beating.”
“I was there that day,” Cairney recalls. “It was obviously an awful time, the football didn’t really matter that day. I remember getting the news after the game that Paul had passed away, which was a massive shock to the Club. But Clare has taken a positive from it in helping so many people learn CPR, which is amazing.”
Reed adds: “I think it’s really important, moving forward, that more and more people know what to do, so if something does happen in the community, people are calm and responsive, and can get to helping people as quick as possible.”
For Robinson, personal experience has led to him taking his health very seriously: “A few years ago I failed a medical, finding out that I had a bit of an abnormality with my own heart.
“Thankfully it’s all under control now, but it’s quite a sensitive topic for me and my family, and my missus was very keen on us having a defibrillator in the house just in case anything happened. But not everyone can afford to have their own defib, so the awareness of knowing CPR, knowing first response, is a massive thing, so what Clare’s doing is amazing.”
Since establishing the Paul Alan Project, Clare has trained 1,442 people – aged 3-93 – and has funded the installation of 28 accessible defibrillators – a figure she hopes to double this year.
“My dad was a picture of health,” she explains. “That’s one of the things that really drives me to do my training – my dad was fit, healthy, he didn’t smoke or drink, he led a very active lifestyle. If a cardiac arrest can happen to someone like my dad, it can happen to anyone.
“It’s not just something that happens to people who are unhealthy, or older people, a cardiac arrest can happen at any time or anywhere, and that’s why our training’s so important, so people are ready in case it does happen. Because it will happen without warning.
“It’s really sad, the way Dad died, in so many ways obviously, but one of the hardest things to accept – even now – was, why? He was so healthy, why did this happen? It just felt so unfair that such a lovely, kind man was just taken from us in that way. But there’s so many beautiful aspects of that as well – he didn’t suffer, he was in the place that he loved the most.
“If my Dad could have written in a book how he would want to die, that would have been it. Having a standing ovation of 15,000 football supporters at Craven Cottage in your final moments on this earth – I think most Fulham supporters would want to bow out that way.”
To find out more about the Paul Alan Project, or to book onto a session or make a donation, visit thepaulalanproject.org.
