A NEW defibrillator has been installed for the benefit of a Chester community.

Great Boughton Parish Council has been working with North West Ambulance Service and other local agencies during these difficult times to improve the health and safety of local residents.

The council has been able to purchase a defibrillator for public use and is pleased to be able to install it within the local Sainsbury’s store on Caldy Valley Road.

Great Boughton is currently served by public access defibrillators at the Premier Inn on Caldy Valley Road, at G&M Goold Funeral Directors at Green Lane shops, and at Vicars Cross Community Centre.

Defibrillators are pieces of equipment used to treat victims of sudden cardiac arrest. When someone experiences sudden cardiac arrest, their heart goes into an unnatural rhythm and for every minute after someone suffers a cardiac arrest, they lose 10 per cent of their survival chances, so the sooner the patient receives treatment, the better their chances of making a full recovery.

Great Boughton Parish Council chair, Cllr Peter Bulmer, said: “We are delighted to be able provide such an important piece of equipment for the local population.

"The council is particularly pleased to be able to locate it in such a central location where hundreds of local residents visit regularly.

"I’d like to thank the local Sainsbury’s store for their commitment to community safety and we look forward to working with them on future community projects.”

Sainsbury’s on Caldy Valley Road is currently open from 8am-10pm, six days a week, and 10am-4pm on Sundays, so the defibrillator will be available for public use whenever the store is open.

It has been registered with the North West Ambulance Service, which was delighted to learn of this addition to local services.