A LIFE-SAVING heart device is now on hand at a Minehead church - the 16th defibrillator to be installed by a local charity group in the last two years.

Minehead Community Defib Group has installed its latest Community Access Defibrillator at Millbridge Evangelical Church.

The latest installation, which cost about £2000, was funded by the church’s congregation, local residents and local businesses.

Richard Newton, the group’s chairman, said: “The Defib group, formed in May 2021, was initially set up with the aim of raising money for a defibrillator to be placed in the Minehead harbour area. Two years later, the charity now has 16 lifes-aving public access defibrillators in the community.

“This year we have also trained over 200 people in their use.

“On average one of our Defibs is deployed every two weeks. Thankfully most of the time this is as a precaution, but we are aware of at least four occasions, since the group was set up, when the defibs have been fully utilised.

“We are overwhelmed with the support and interest we have had, the generosity of local people, community groups, churches and businesses has been fantastic.

“All the defibs are public access and anyone who has a need for them should not hesitate to open the box and utilise this potential life-saving device.

“The charity is committed to installing further devices in and around Minehead, to their upkeep and ongoing maintenance and to provide free training. We would particularly like to thank Brendon Electrics for help with the installation.”