A NEW life-saving defibrillator has been installed outside Fordingbridge Fire Station.

The community rallied together to raise about £3,400 - enough to buy two defibrillators - after the defibrillator outside of Fordingbridge Sports Club and Recreation Ground was reported missing back in August.

And within about 18 hours of a Crowdfunding page being set up enough money had been raised to pay for a new one.The fundraising page was set up by Fordingbridge Fire Station manager and town councillor Pete White

The defibrillator was later found.

Pete said: “I am really pleased. It is a credit to the community, they have supplied it.

“The town will be in a better place [by having another defibrillator]. But hopefully no-one will need it.”

He said it gives people suffering a cardiac arrest a “better chance” of survival while they wait for an ambulance to arrive.

“People have got to realise it is easy to use,” added Pete. “All the instructions are on the front and it tells you what to do.”

He thanked all the businesses and individuals in the town who supported the appeal and made it possible to buy the two new defibrillators.

The second defibrillator is due to be installed at Elliots builders’ merchants.

Andrew Carr, of Fordingbridge Community First Responders, said: “After a fantastic contribution from our community last year, I’m really pleased that we’ve got yet another Public Access Defibrillator in Fordingbridge, with a further one to be installed at Elliots soon.”

First responders are volunteers who are trained and deployed by South Central Ambulance to deliver life-saving treatment until the ambulance arrives.

Anyone interested in volunteering go to fordingbridgeresponders.uk or email andrew.carr@sca-charity.org.uk