A 92-YEAR-OLD man has donated money from his own pocket to fund a defibrillator in a pub.

Leonard Walker, a retired fire alarm engineer, wanted to see the lifesaving equipment installed in Hangleton - and decided there was no better place to put it than his local.

He chose the Grenadier pub in Hangleton Road, Hove, due to its central location near a parade of busy shops.

Leonard, originally from Northampton, moved to Brighton 46 years ago and has lived in Hangleton for the last 20 years.

Conservative city councillor for Hangleton and Knoll Dawn Barnett helped him with his plan to buy the defibrillator and pub landlord Richard Taylor agreed to have it in the Grenadier.

The final price was almost £2,000 but Leonard said it was a small price if it saved someone’s life.

Leonard told The Argus: “I didn’t think there was one around this area so I wanted to see if it could be arranged.

The Argus: From left, Leonard Walker with pub landlord, Richard TaylorFrom left, Leonard Walker with pub landlord, Richard Taylor

"Dawn helped me sort it out and then I paid for it.

“I thought there are a lot of elderly people in this area and it’s just a good thing to do. I said to Dawn I might need it myself one day.

“It’s a good idea because it could save a life, I wanted it in the pub and not outside so it wouldn’t get vandalised.

“There are people walking around shopping here, so I thought this is a good place for it.

"It’s not cheap but it’s not that expensive really. Less money for the grandkids - I will say to them ‘you lost your money, it’s on the wall’.”

The Argus: The defibrillator instructs people how to use it with an automated voice once openedThe defibrillator instructs people how to use it with an automated voice once opened

The defibrillator can be used by anyone in the event of an emergency.

Once opened, it activates an automated voice which tells the user exactly how to use it.

There is currently one other defibrillator in Hangleton, at St Peter's Parish Church in Court Farm Road, according to the HeartSafe website, which tells people where they can find publicly accessible defibrillators.

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