Cambridgeshire Freemasons open their doors to support East Anglian Air Ambulance community CPR initiative.
Cambridgeshire Freemasons have launched a new community partnership with East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) to deliver life-saving CPR and defibrillator awareness training across the county, inspired by the remarkable survival of a local Freemason’s son.
In October 2025, Jon Barrios suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while playing five-a-side football in Sydney, Australia. He was resuscitated on the pitch for 28 minutes and received four shocks from a pitch-side defibrillator before being stabilised and transferred to Royal North Shore Hospital.
His father, Tony Barrios, a Cambridgeshire Freemason, learned of the incident when his eldest son knocked on his door with the devastating news. Within 48 hours, Tony was on a flight to Australia, travelling straight from the airport to the hospital’s intensive care unit.
After two weeks in hospital, Jon was discharged with an implanted Medtronic cardiac device. He has since made a full recovery and continues to undergo tests to determine the cause of the cardiac arrest.
Had it not been for somebody acting quickly to perform CPR on my son and having a defibrillator available, Jon may not be here today. The speed of response and access to the right equipment made all the difference. This is something that is extremely important to me.
— Tony Barrios
From Christmas concert to community action
At Christmas 2024, Cambridgeshire Freemasons held a Carol Concert at Ely Cathedral, raising significant funds, with half of the proceeds donated to EAAA.
In 2025, members visited the charity’s Cambridge base to formally present the donation and were given an insight into the critical care service it provides across the region. During discussions, the need for accessible venues to host CPR and defibrillator awareness training sessions was highlighted.
In response, Cambridgeshire Freemasons offered the use of their Masonic Halls across the county.
The initiative directly reflects the Third Pillar of the United Grand Lodge of England’s Strategy for Freemasonry 2022 and beyond, Community Engagement, which focuses on transforming charitable giving from solely financial donations into active, hands-on service within local communities.
On 4 March, Freemasons and members of the public attended the first one-hour CPR and defibrillator awareness session at the Masonic Hall in Cambridge.
While this initial training session was held in Cambridge, it is hoped that the programme will develop further, with future sessions delivered at other Masonic Halls throughout the Province of Cambridgeshire, increasing accessibility and reach across local communities.
The long-term ambition is for Cambridgeshire Masons to help facilitate and eventually deliver these accessible one-hour sessions on behalf of throughout the county.
Debbie Downes, who attended the inaugural session, said:
“I found the hour session to be extremely useful and reassuring. The training was clear, practical and gave me the confidence that I could step forward and help in an emergency. It’s empowering to know that in just one hour you can gain skills that could save a life.”
Jack Parkin, the trainer who delivered the session, added:
“We are very grateful to Cambridgeshire Freemasons and to Tony for facilitating and arranging these sessions, and for allowing the use of their venues to continue this vital training in our communities. Partnerships like this help us reach more people and ultimately save more lives.”
Tony Barrios, who is coordinating the initiative, said:
“If sharing Jon’s story encourages just one more person to learn CPR or understand how to use a defibrillator, then something positive has come from what was a very frightening time for our family. Community engagement means being present and active where it truly matters, and this is one of those moments.”
Further training sessions are planned in the coming months, helping to build a stronger, more confident and better-prepared community across Cambridgeshire.
For further information about training at Cambridge Masonic Hall, please contact: cmh@cambridgemasonichallltd.com
