A SECOND life-saving defibrillator has been installed in Minehead thanks to fundraising by a new local charity.
Now the Minehead Community Defib Group is planning another two installations - as soon as the necessary money can be found.
The group has already placed one public-use defibrillator on the wall of the RNLI’s Quay West lifeboat house.
Now a second is in situ at the seafront cafe, thanks to free installation by local electrician Paul Bowden.
And group chairman Richard Newton says eventually the plan is to provide several more in parts of the town with the largest public footfall, such as the shopping centre and the seafront, as well as in surrounding areas. Meanwhile in the autumn the group is to start offering training courses on the use of defibrillators.
“These devices have proved their worth in thousands of cases and we feel they can play an important front-line role in lifesaving locally, particularly in view of Minehead’s remoteness from a general hospital and the unavoidable but sometimes lengthy delays in getting an ambulance to attend,” he said.
“We are immensely grateful to the Jubilee Café for hosting a defibrillator and we already have our next two locations agreed – we now need to start raising money to pay for the necessary equipment.”
Anyone wishing to support the group or donate to help its work can access it via Facebook at @mineheaddefibgroup, via the website, https://minehead-community-
defib-group.business.site, or by email at