PHILIP Dunne, the MP for Ludlow, wants people to take heart.

He is backing a joint £1 million partnership between the British Heart Foundation and the Department of Health to make defibrillators and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training more widely available in England.

Nearly 30,000 people suffer a cardiac arrest out of hospital each year, with fewer than one in ten surviving. However, a bystander giving immediate CPR and defibrillation can potentially double chances of survival in some cases, but for every minute without defibrillation chances of survival decrease by around 10 per cent.

“We have already had impressive success in rolling out public access defibrillators, with approximately 50 now installed in schools, village halls and other buildings across the Ludlow constituency,” said Philip Dunne.

“This new initiative from the Department for Health and the British Heart Foundation will help build on this success. I am hopeful we will see this continue to grow through this initiative.

“Someone is struck by a heart attack every three minutes in the UK and time is a vital factor in survival rates. In a rural area like Shropshire, quick access to public defibrillators is essential.

“The British Heart Foundation are now accepting applications for defibrillators and CPR training kits from organisations such as charities, community groups and social enterprises. So I hope local groups will make use of this initiative and help more local residents to become potential lifesavers.”

More information on how to apply for a defibrillator or CPR training can be found online at www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health/nation-of-lifesavers. To see where defibrillators are located visit www.defibtracker.co.uk.