THE principal of Foxes Academy in Minehead is stepping out across England to help raise money to buy a new life-saving piece of equipment.

Sharon Bowden will be walking the Wainwright Coast to Coast path from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hood Bay in Yorkshire.

All the money raised will be put towards the cost of buying a £1,195 defibrillator, which will be kept at Foxes Academy premises in The Avenue for both academy and public use.

"Having a defibrillator at hand can mean the difference between life and death to someone who has suffered a cardiac arrest," said Mrs Bowden.

"This life saving piece of equipment will be available for public use and will benefit the whole of the Minehead community."

Foxes Hotel already has a defibrillator - a life-saving machine that gives the heart an electric shock when it stops beating - and staff have been trained to use it in an emergency.

The second defibrillator would be kept in The Avenue to ensure it is available "in the heart of our community".

Mrs Bowden's fundraising campaign has already been boosted by donations from local businesses and organisations, including Crosswells Electrical Contractors, Independent Living and Stuarts Home Furnishings.

Anyone interested in sponsoring Mrs Bowden's Coast to Coast walk can send donations to the accounts department at Foxes Academy, The Esplanade, Minehead, TA24 5QP.

Cheques should be made payable to 'Foxes Academy Ltd'.

Photo: Steve Guscott