Residents in Southwick have helped contribute towards the village’s first defibrillator after several years of fundraising at The Farmhouse Inn.

Licencees Janet Harris and Adam Glass took over the pub three years ago and were surprised to learn the village had no defibrillator, a machine that delivers an electric shock to the heart when someone suffers a cardiac arrest.

After numerous fundraisers, events, individual and group donations, the pub raised the £1,600 needed to buy the life saving machine.

Mr Glass said: “I was raised in Bromham and they have four defibrillators. I couldn’t believe a village like Southwick didn’t have one.

“The donation and support has been brilliant.”

Mrs Harris said: “It will benefit everyone.

“When someone within a quarter of a mile radius of the pub calls the ambulance, they will be directed to here or someone from here will be directed to them if they can’t pick it up.

“It is easy to use and the ambulance service will talk you through it.

“We were surprised by the number of individual donations. We are also very thankful to Southwick Sports and Social club for its donation.

“We won’t stop fundraising because in four years we will need to replace it.”

The defibrillator is currently behind the bar at the pub and is available from 8.30am-11.30pm.

A cabinet is being provided so the machine can go on the outside of the building to be available 24/7. Once in place, the NHS will come to The Farmhouse Inn for an awareness course open to all residents. Dates of this will be printed in the August edition of the village newsletter.