LANGORE Village Hall is now home to a defibrillator.

The defibrillator, a device that gives a high energy electric shock to the heart through the chest wall to someone who is in cardiac arrest, has been provided by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), with a £400 donation to the charity from St Stephen by Launceston Rural Parish Council.

The parish council applied for the defibrillator in the summer and received it in August.

It has also had to buy a cabinet for the defibrillator, with funds promised from local Cornwall Councillor Adam Paynter.

Parish councillor Joan Heaton said parishioners were happy the defibrillator has been installed and said the nearest defibrillator otherwise would be in Launceston.

The parish also includes the hamlets of Truscott and Dutson. Cllr Heaton said she felt these hamlets should also have defibrillators and that the parish council would again look into whether it could receive further funding for these from Cllr Paynter.

Cllr Heaton said: “We had a couple of incidents where people were quite ill and certainly needed ambulances.”

The defibrillator has been accredited by South West Ambulance Service and Cllr Heaton has to update the service every month to let it know the device is still in working order.

She added: “We are very grateful to the British Heart Foundation for it, and to [Cllr] Adam Paynter for the money.”

The parish council has also received a CPR kit from the BHF, and is going to hold classes at Langore Village Hall in the new year. Further details to follow.