A LIFESAVING piece of equipment has been installed inside a disused phone box in Earls Croome, near Upton.

The red phone box was bought by Earls Croome Parish Council last year, and it was decided it would be used to house a defibrillator.

A British Heart Foundation (BHF) scheme helped fund the machine, however villagers helped to raise at least £1,500 towards to the cost of the defibrillator, its heated cabinet, installation fees and fridge magnets bearing the cabinet's code.

Parish councillor Charlotte Bloomfield, who is an emergency nurse practitioner, originally suggested the idea to the council.

She said: "While I don't think our ambulance response times are poor for this area, having quicker access to a defibrillator would help. If it saves one life, it has been worth it.

"Having it accessible for parishioners or anyone that is passing through the village and find themselves in need of it, is going to increase their chance of survival if someone was to have a cardiac arrest."

Cllr Bloomfield has since been working with villagers, teaching them how to use the machine and how to deliver Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).

A spokesman for the council said: "There was an opportunity with this redundant phone box which we needed to try to put it to good use for something.

"We just hope that it is there of benefit in case it is needed. Everyone in the village has been provided with a new number to get into the heated cabinet."

Judy O’Sullivan, assistant programme director at the BHF, said: "More than 30,000 people suffer a cardiac arrest outside of hospital every year but less than one in ten survive.

"More people could be saved if more defibrillators were available in public places and if more people felt confident using them and performing CPR.

"We are delighted that Earls Croome Parish Council has joined the BHF’s Nation of Lifesavers campaign - by making another defibrillator available in a phone box and teaching CPR locally. It could really be the difference between life and death."

For more information about the BHF's Nation of Lifesavers campaign visit bhf.org.uk/lifesavers