COUNCILLORS have agreed to help fund a potentially life-saving defibrillator machine on the outside of the Reminiscence Learning building at Tonedale Mill in Wellington.

Dementia care charity Reminiscence Learning had applied to Wellington Town Council for a £1,301 grant towards the overall cost of £2,500 with the remainder of the funds having been pledged by other supporters.

In August 2018 the council agreed to financially back the charity on a long-term arrangement known as a Service Level Agreement where it would provide it with a £3,000 grant on an annual basis for the next three years.

And Cllr John Thorne, speaking at the town council meeting on May 13, said: “I would rather us be providing the defibrillator than giving money to someone else to do it.

“I would like to turn this application on its head and ask Reminiscence Learning for the money and we’d do it.”

Cllr Marcus Barr added: “We have already got a SLA with the Reminiscence Learning so I agree with Cllr Thorne.”

Fiona Mahoney, of Reminiscence Learning, said that to get full funding for the project would enable the defibrillator to go on the outside of the building in a security cabinet and be available 24 hours a day for people to use in the event of someone having a heart attack.

“It would be frustrating if we had it indoors and behind bars and only available when we were open,” she said.

Cllr Andrew Govier said: “I fully support this – however or whichever way it is funded. It makes sense to have something down there at Tonedale.”

A defibrillator can be used if someone is having a cardiac arrest and could mean the difference between life and death.

The equipment is housed in a tamper-proof yellow box and, crucially, the defibrillator fitted is a speaking-instructional device meaning no medical training is required to use it.

In the event of an emergency, people should call 999 and the emergency call handler will advise of the defibrillator’s location – if the caller is not already aware of it. The call handler will then provide a code to access the equipment from its cabinet at the same time as they dispatch an ambulance. The call handler and the device then talk the user through what to do.

But Cllr Govier also said he felt it would be good to have a review of public defibrillators in the town.

“It would be great to have one outside every house but that isn’t going to happen so it would be good to have a review of the ones we’ve got,” he said.