THE Ockment Centre has successfully obtained a new defibrillator thanks to a donation made by the Okehampton Freemasons.

The life-saving piece of equipment has been installed inside the Ockment Centre following a £2,250 grant which was given by the freemasons.

Carole Ward, manager of the Ockment Centre, said: ‘We were given a very generous donation of £2,250 from the Okehampton Freemasons to enable us to purchase a defibrillator from local charity Heartswell.

‘It has already been installed here at the Ockment Centre and with the money left over we will be able to fund some training sessions to teach staff and members of the community how to use it.

‘The defibrillator is located inside of the Ockment Centre and will be able to be used during emergencies in the town. It’s amazing that we now have this piece of life-saving equipment.

‘On behalf of the Ockment Centre I would like to thank the Okehampton Freemasons for their generosity. Without their helpful donation we wouldn’t have been able to purchase the defibrillator.’

The money granted by the freemasons will go towards the installation, maintenance and insurance of the defibrillator as well as training people how to use it.

A defibrillator gives a high energy electric shock to the heart of someone who is in cardiac arrest and is an essential life-saving step in the chain of survival.

Around 30,000 people have a cardiac arrest each year outside the confines of a hospital. The chance of survival after the heart stops falls by around 10% for every minute that passes without defibrillation, which is vital as it can take the emergency services several minutes, or possibly longer, to arrive.

There are several other defibrillators available in the town, including one in the Parklands Leisure Centre, the bowling club and Okehampton Primary School.