A POTENTIALLY lifesaving public defibrillator has been installed in Williton in memory of a teenage girl who died in a car crash.

The defibrillator - which can be used on someone in the event of a cardiac arrest - has been funded by the Stand Against Speed 4 Bethany charity.

Bethany Paige Adams died on January 7, 2012, at the age of 17 when she was a front seat passenger in a car involved in a crash.

After ten years campaigning to educate young drivers, Bethany’s family have made the difficult decision to focus on themselves and made two last donations in funding the defibrillator at a cost of £2,300 and presenting a cheque to Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance for £3,022.66.

The defibrillator has been installed on the outside wall of Williton Parish Council offices and will be available to the public 24-7.

"Following our tragic loss we set up the charity with the sole aim of educating drivers aged between 16-25 years old," said Bethany’s parents, Mark and Helen and sister Danielle. "We have delivered this in a number of ways with the two main ones being a Choice & Consequence educational Go Karting course costing £30 per person run alongside Dave Adams from Avon & Somerset Police, and talking to large groups of pupils from Devon as a parent speaker with Learn 2 Live.

"After running the charity for nearly ten years we have made the difficult decision to now focus on our own well-being as a family. We would like to thank each person that has supported us over the past ten years and without your generosity we would not have been able to carry out all the hard work we have put in to delivering Bethany’s story.

"With the funds left over we have funded a defibrillator costing £2,300 which has been installed on the outside of Williton Parish Council office in memory of Bethany.

"We have also presented a cheque to Dorset & Somerset Air Ambulance for £3,022.66 - living in a rural location we felt that this money would be of great benefit to the charity."

The road safety props and educational items they had to educate young drivers have been gifted to the Teddy Bears Nursery, the nursery Bethany attended.

The family will still hold an annual curry night and money will be given to the Croft House Residential Home’s residents’ fund where Bethany was working before she died.