FITZHEAD has become one of a growing number of villages to raise funds and install a defibrillator to help anyone who suffers a heart attack or cardiac arrest.

The defibrillator was installed with a small ceremony at the village Tithe Barn – thanks to the fundraising and hard work of local people.

It cost £2,400, which was raised through a coffee morning, individual donations, the local parish council, and a grant for £740 from the Taunton Deane Borough Council defibrillator fund managed by Somerset Community Foundation.

Sue Webber, a self-employed soft furnishing maker, and Jane Burton, a teacher, were inspired to undertake the initiative after hearing about a similar one from friends.

Sue looked into all the options and costs from different providers and they started raising money from November last year.

“We’re very pleased we’ve now got the defibrillator,” said Sue. “It’s a potential life saver and is essential in such a rural community.

“Cardiac arrest or heart attack can affect anyone, even schoolchildren, so it’s of potential benefit to every age.”

She said people need to dial 999 if it is thought someone is having a heart attack or cardiac arrest.

The defibrillator works by pads being placed on the sufferer. The machine assesses what is the best way to deal with the person, and talks those administering it through the process, she said.

The Fitzhead defibrillator was bought through the Community Heartbeat Trust, which is the UK’s leading community defibrillator charity with over 3,500 projects around the country.

A spokesman for South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust said:

“The more people equipped with the knowledge and confidence to administer CPR [cardiopulmonary resuscitation] and the more defibrillators there are available, the more people we can save.

“We encourage all businesses and workplaces to have defibrillators and CPR-trained people available to respond in an emergency situation.”