Justin Burgess, John Gillard, Sarah Kingham and Mark Knapper (The CHAT Committee)

A MACHINE to help people suffering life-threatening heart conditions has been installed in a village thanks to a charity.

A defibrillator now sits on the outside wall of the Peace Memorial Hall in Codicote after CHAT (Codicote Heart Action Team) raised £1,500 for the device.

The charity was set up by villager Sarah Doherty, after her 13-year-old son James collapsed and went into cardiac arrest while playing tennis, back in 2008. The quick-thinking actions of his tennis coaches saved his life.

CHAT’s aim is to promote awareness of cardiac problems in young people, offer subsidised screening to pre-empt future complications and provide free/low cost CPR training to anyone who would like to receive it.

Justin Burgess, of CHAT, said he was delighted to see the setting up of the defibrillator on High Street, but hoped it would never have to be used.

He added: “If anyone you know is experiencing a cardiac arrest, you can dial 999 at which time you will be given a code to access the defibrillator which has full instructions on how to use it.

“At the same time, fridge magnets are being delivered to all homes in the village to let them know about the defibrillator.

“We would like to thank everyone who has supported fundraising events in the last three years – it is very much appreciated.”