A DEFIBRILLATOR has been installed in the iconic red phone box in the High Street, Headley, for community use.

The phone box was bought by Headley Parish Council for £1 as part of BT’s Adopt a Kiosk scheme because it was no longer needed as a working payphone.

The council has been working with the Community Heartbeat Trust to deliver the project.

The defibrillator machine provides spoken step-by-step instructions, analysing the victim to determine if they are suffering from a cardiac arrest and delivering a powerful, but controlled, electric shock to restore normal heartbeat if required.

A Community Defibrillator Seminar will be held on Saturday, October, 8 at 10.30am at Headley Village Hall. The Community Heartbeat Trust will demonstrate the use of defibrillators, explaining how the equipment works and its benefit to the community in saving precious minutes in the treatment of cardiac arrest.

Everyone is welcome and no skills are required, just a willingness to play an important role in the event of a medical emergency.

The project was funded by a grant of £1,000 from East Hampshire district councillor Anthony Williams, as part of the council’s Community Grant Scheme; £100 from the Headley Fun Run and £1,000 from Headley Parish Council. The phone box will be painted thanks to a donation from paint firm Valspar.

Dennis Tregay, chairman of Headley Parish Council, said: “This is a wonderful location for a public access defibrillator. This defibrillator will be passed by lots of walkers everyday as well as serving the local village.”