FAQ

Online peer support is valuable, and many members find it life-changing. But meeting in person adds something that a screen cannot. You see a face. You hear a voice. You sit opposite someone who truly gets it, without having to explain yourself, and something shifts.

Many members describe the first meet up they attended as a turning point in their recovery. The research on social support and recovery from serious illness consistently points in the same direction: in-person connection matters. Peer support from people with shared experience matters even more.

If you are on the fence, read what our members wrote about their experience of our October 2025 regional events in Together Through Recovery.

Category: Recovery

The best way to find out about upcoming events is to join our community, where events are announced and discussed as they are planned. You can also check this page regularly, and the SCA UK blog where events are often written up before and after they happen.

Keep an eye out particularly in September and October, when we encourage members to organise regional gatherings to coincide with Restart a Heart Day and Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month.

Category: Meet Ups and Events

National SCA UK events are held every two years. These are our flagship gatherings, bringing together hundreds of members from across the UK for a full programme of speakers, connection, and celebration of how far our community has come.

Regional meet ups happen much more frequently, throughout the year, wherever members choose to gather. Watch our website, browse our past events, and join our community to be the first to hear about upcoming ones.

Category: Meet Ups and Events

Yes, absolutely. Organising a regional meet up is one of the most rewarding things a member can do, and it does not have to be complicated. A new meet up can start with just three or four people, a local pub, café, or community space, and a date in the diary.

We have a full guide on how to organise a meet up, covering everything from checking whether there are members in your area, to choosing a venue, to keeping the momentum going. We can also help you publicise it through our community. Get in touch and we will support you every step of the way.

Category: Meet Ups and Events

Completely normal, and very common. Walking into a room full of strangers takes courage at the best of times. After a cardiac arrest, when you may already be dealing with anxiety or a changed sense of who you are, it can feel like a significant step.

Most people who have attended their first SCA UK meet up describe the same thing: it was harder to get through the door than they expected, and far better on the other side of it than they had imagined. The moment someone else in the room says something you have never heard anyone say before, and you realise they understand exactly what you mean, is one of the more remarkable experiences recovery has to offer.

You can always come for an hour and see how you feel. No one will put you on the spot or expect anything of you. And if you want to ask questions or read reflections before committing, our blog post Together Through Recovery captures what attending felt like for those who came.

Category: Fear and Anxiety

Not at all. Meet ups are open to everyone who has been affected by a sudden cardiac arrest: survivors, co-survivors (partners, family members, friends), and rescuers. You do not need to be a survivor, and you do not need to be a member of SCA UK, though most attendees are.

If you witnessed a cardiac arrest or performed CPR, you are just as welcome. The shared experience goes beyond the person whose heart stopped. Read more about co-survivors and their place in our community.

Category: Co-survivors

It depends on the format, but the heart of every SCA UK meet up is the same: people who have been through a sudden cardiac arrest, or been close to someone who has, coming together in a room and recognising each other.

National events are larger and structured. They typically include speakers sharing personal stories and clinical insights, time to connect with others, and a sense of occasion. Regional meet ups are usually much more informal. A table in a pub or café, a handful of people, and a conversation that goes places other conversations cannot. Both are valuable in different ways.

There is no agenda you have to follow, no requirement to share anything you are not ready to share, and no pressure to be further along in your recovery than you are. Most people who attend describe it as one of the best decisions they made. You can read about what our October 2025 regional events were like in our blog post Together Through Recovery.

Category: Meet Ups and Events