FUNDRAISERS at Southwick Community Centre have been celebrating the arrival of a life-saving defibrillator machine.

Adur District Council Chairman Joss Loader visited the centre to congratulate the team and to talk about the importance of getting more of these machines available to the public in the towns and villages of Adur.

The community association decided last year to raise the funds to buy and install one at the large and busy community centre in Southwick, which is also the home of the popular Barn Theatre and Barn Café.

As part of the fundraising effort, all the proceeds from the Christmas Fair were devoted to the project.

Many of the community association volunteers have received training in the use of the defibrillator machine, helped by the St John Ambulance Centre in Southwick.

But association chairman Bob Ryder stressed that it’s possible for anyone to use the machine in an emergency, to help someone suffering cardiac arrest. He said: “Once it’s switched on, the machine will actually talk the user through all the steps needed. It’s very clear and very safe to use.”

Joss Loader is making the promotion and provision of defibrillators a priority during her year’s chairmanship of ADC.