A NEW emergency community defibrillator is now up and running on the wall of the Minehead Barbarians clubhouse.

A club spokesperson said: “A huge thank you to all who have contributed to this invaluable piece of equipment, not only for our club but also for the local community.

“Lives can be saved with this equipment, offered to everybody as it is now situated on the external wall of the club and will be available 24 hours a day.

“Thank you to Jacob Gower for fitting it.

“Having this equipment is incredibly important to our members, especially those who remember previous emergencies within our rugby family.”

The state of the art defibrillator, costing £1,000, replaces one which had become out of date.