A LIFE-SAVING piece of equipment has been installed at a rugby club to help players and members of the community if they suffer a cardiac arrest.

Oxford Rugby Club decided to fundraise for a defibrillator after a group of parents attended a first aid course last year.

Saskya Huggins, first aid co-ordinator for the club’s junior section, explained the parents had heard how most defibrillators are installed in memory of someone who has died, but the club wanted to take action to ensure one was already in place should it ever be needed.

The new piece of equipment, paid for by donations from members, was unveiled at the club’s ground in North Hinksey village on Sunday.

A grant from the North Hinksey Parish Council has also allowed for the purchase of a secure cabinet to house the defibrillator, allowing it to be used by everyone in the community, even when the club is shut.

Ms Huggins said: “When someone has a cardiac arrest, the quicker resuscitation starts, the better their chances of survival, so we were keen to get a defibrillator on-site.

“Thanks to generous donations from club members we were able to purchase one and we were thrilled when the parish council agreed to purchase a cabinet.

“We hope it isn’t needed, but it is reassuring to know it is there just in case”.

Sudden cardiac arrest can strike without warning, regardless of a person’s age.

A defibrillator provides a high energy electric shock to the heart through the chest wall to someone who is in cardiac arrest.

The NHS has warned that the chances of a person’s survival decreases rapidly by up to 10 per cent per minute’s delay in starting resuscitation.

The machines are all automated and easy to use.

Chairman of North Hinksey Parish Council, David Kay, said:“Last year the parish council identified the provision of publicly accessible defibrillators throughout the parish as an important facility to ensure the well-being of local residents.

“When the rugby club requested a grant to buy a secure cabinet for the defibrillator they were obtaining we responded with enthusiasm as it seemed an ideal location within the village.

“The parish council has also already installed a defibrillator at the Louie Memorial Pavilion, and another unit will be added in the shopping precinct off West Way when the redevelopment works there allow that to happen.”

The defibrillator at Oxford Rugby Club is just one of a growing network of publicly available defibrillators across the region.

South Central Ambulance Service keeps a register and a 999-call centre operative can direct callers to their nearest defib or details can be found on the Save A Life app, which can be downloaded to smartphones.