A PIECE of life-saving equipment, designed to save heart attack victims, proved its worth after being pressed into service just minutes after being handed over.

The defibrillator was handed over by Deddington Farmers’ Market’s committee to volunteer first-aider Colin Stephens on Saturday.

Within 20 minutes, South Central Ambulance Service, was alerted to a 76-year-old woman having a heart attack in the village.

Mr Stephens, a community responder, and Matt Winser and Dave England – community responder training officer and liaison officer for the ambulance service – were nearest to the woman’s home and arrived first on the scene.

An ambulance arrived soon after and the woman was taken to the Horton Hospital in Banbury.

Mr England said: “We were there literally within seconds and were able to successfully resuscitate the patient. Thanks to the generosity of Deddington Farmers’ Market, the village now has its own defibrillator. But no-one imagined that it would be put to use so soon to save a life in the village.”

There are more than 250 volunteer community responders in Oxfordshire.

The scheme allows people within the community to be first on the scene of an incident and administer vital first aid before an ambulance arrives.

For every minute after a patient collapses in cardiac arrest, the chance of survival is reduced by 10 per cent, making the first minutes key.

Mr English said: “Seven cardiac arrest patients were resuscitated in Oxfordshire last year due to the prompt attendance of a community-based responder.

“It’s brilliant that communities can be empowered to help save lives while the ambulance service is on its way.”

To find out more about becoming a community responder, email cfr@scas.nhs.uk or call 0800 5870207