If you hear of anyone whose life has been saved in Cheltenham with a
defibrillator machine — the electrical devices that, in the right hands, can re-start the human heart — you will have Clare Seed to thank, at least in part.
Seed, whose day job is teaching vital first aid skills to companies and organisations through her Tidal Training business, is also one of the founders and driving forces behind the town's Public Hearts defibrillator campaign.
Together with other committed Cheltenham business people, she has helped
install a network of 43 defibrillator machines, to date, for public use across
the town.
You could say, she took the mantra of one of Gloucestershire’s most successful businessmen to heart.
‘One of my favourite and apt mantras is from our key partner Bob Holt OBE, which is "be about doing something, not being someone",’ said Seed, referring to the former boss of Gloucester-based plc Mears Group who supports the Purple Hearts campaign.
The name of her business, Tidal, stands for ‘trusted, intuitive, diligent, affirmative learning’. Her other favourite mantra sounds equally as simple as Holt's, and no less difficult to achieve.
‘In terms of business and life lessons from a company point of view, it's vital to "get the basics right",' said Seed, whose efforts with Public Hearts won her the Corporate Social Responsibility Award at the SoGlos Gloucestershire Business Awards 2022.
‘Two of the most vital skills are communication and interpersonal skills. These are often overlooked. Yet with them, and a clear plan, magic can really happen.’
But she said it was the ethos within a business that was the most important – for success, sustainability and everyone concerned.
‘For business owners, it's easy to focus on the balance sheets and financials, yet people are the foundation and fabric of every business.
‘As Tidal teaches healthcare subjects from bespoke mental health to everything first aid related, it's clear to us that everything else is replaceable and people aren't.
‘Supporting our staff, trainers, clients and our learners is integral to what we do and absolutely vital as the lifeblood of our business.’
