A NEW lifesaving defibrillator has been installed in Churchstow, thanks to the parish council and others.

The new AED, or Automatic External Defibrillator, has been positioned at the Church House Inn, on the external wall next to the entrance to the pub’s car park.

It is a locked box, so if you need to access it, call 999 and give the operator the number of the front of the case and they will give you the code to open the case and retrieve the machine.

The AED was funded through fundraising by the parish council and generous donations from Councillor Rufus Gilbert of Devon County Council and Cllr Ian Bramble of South Hams District Council.

Cllr Gilbert donated £1,000 from his Locality Allowance, and said: ‘I’m pleased to have had the opportunity to help fund this much needed facility in Churchstow.

‘It’s position is perfect being next to the pub and close to the shop, village hall and main highway. I just hope it’s never needed!’

Jody Fendick, clerk to Churchstow Parish Council and Councillor Paul Williams, extended their thanks to both councillors, the landlords at the Church House Inn, David and Sue Mone and St Austell Brewery, as well as anyone else who helped get the defibrillator in the village.

Kingsbridge Estuary Rotary Club will be providing CPR and defibrillator training in the church soon, keep an eye on their Facebook page or for posters around the village for dates and times.

Remember to check our map of local defibrillators at: tinyurl.com/southhamsdefibs or use the QR code on the back of our papers.