Rob James from Lyme Heartbeat with David Hilton of Holmbush Café with the new defibrillator. 

The South Western Ambulance Charity recently received a grant from the Tesco Bags of Help scheme to purchase two new defibrillators in Lyme Regis and contacted local organisation Lyme Heartbeat to arrange installation and ongoing management. 

These potentially lifesaving devices are now fully operational and registered with the South Western Ambulance Service. One is located outside Holmbush Café in Holmbush car park and the other is situated outside Hallett Court Community Centre, Queens Walk.

Rob James of Lyme Heartbeat commented “Increased public access to defibrillators results in more people receiving a lifesaving shock as quickly as possible, giving them the best possible chance of survival in the event of a cardiac arrest. We are grateful to the South Western Ambulance Charity and the Tesco Bags of Help scheme for providing two new units for the town which adds to the four other units we’ve installed.”  

The South Western Ambulance Service Charity is supporting defibrillator placement, maintenance and training across the region.  
A defibrillator is a device used to give an electric shock to help restart a patient’s heart when they are in cardiac arrest.  When someone has a cardiac arrest, the heart stops and blood is no longer being pumped around their body. The longer they go without emergency life support, the harder it is to restart their heart. Once in cardiac arrest, for every minute that passes a person loses a further 10% chance of survival.  If a defibrillator is readily available, patients are six times more likely to survive.

The South Western Ambulance Service Charity is a registered charity in England and Wales (1049230).  More information about the charity can be found on their website www.swambulancecharity.org, Facebook page (@swambulancecharity) or on Twitter (@ZoeLarter).

The defibrillator outside Hallett Court.