We chatted to Bailey to talk about bullseyes, beer and bringing a life-saving defibrillator to Babble’s doorstep. What started as a pub game turned into a community fundraiser, backed by Bluebelle Brewing and fuelled by Brighton and Hove spirit. From his own heart scare to the surreal world of marrying a stranger on national TV, we covered why defibs matter, how darts brought people together, and what it means to use your platform for something bigger than yourself.

 

 

What inspired you to take darts from a pub game to a fundraising challenge? And why did Bluebelle Brewing want to sponsor this event?

Darts and beer go hand in hand, so what better way to raise money for charity? Babble’s a proper community space, somewhere people come together, so it felt like the perfect setting to do something that gives back locally.

 

Can you tell us why you wanted to support the install of a defib outside Babble? Was there a specific moment that made you realise how vital these machines are?

I had a heart scare myself a few years back, so I’m very aware of how important defibs are. It really is a vital piece of kit that saves lives. I learned that survival rates drop by around 10% for every minute without defibrillation so having one publicly accessible can genuinely be the difference between life and death. That really stuck with me.

 

What does the MAFS experience mean to you personally, and has it influenced your community work at all?

MAFS has definitely changed my life. The support I get from people in Brighton and Hove has been amazing. Plus the love my beers get too! It’s made me feel more invested in the community and more aware of the platform I’ve got.

 

Walk us through your Darts-for-Defib fundraiser. How did the idea come together?

Jack floated the idea to me and I thought it sounded great. ‘Darts is one of those games that not many people are actually good at – but it’s funny and fun to play either way. I’m definitely one of the ones that aren’t very good!

 

How did it feel seeing the local community rally behind the event?

It was great to see. When you organise something like that you never really know how many people will get involved, but loads of people turned up and got behind it. Everyone was in good spirits, having a laugh and supporting a good cause, which was exactly what we hoped for.

 

How excited were you that Zoe Ball and Peter Kyle came down to unveil it?

Extremely!

 

 

MAFS fans want to know, darts or reality TV: which is the bigger challenge?

Listen… darts is hard, but try marrying a stranger on national television!

 

You’ve clearly got a knack for bringing people together for a good cause – what’s next for you? Any more community ideas or events in the pipeline?

Nothing lined up just yet, but if there’s an opportunity to do something similar again I’d definitely be up for it. If you can bring people together, have a good time and raise money for something worthwhile at the same time, then it’s always a good thing.