A COMMUNITY hub in the west end of Dumbarton has recently had a brand new piece of life-saving equipment installed.

The Phoenix in Quarry Knowe, home of the town’s Rock Community Church, now has a public access defibrillator (PAD) attached to the front wall of the building.

The kit can be used to save the lives of those suffering from cardiac arrest.

Kirsty Lee, the Phoenix’s activities co-ordinator, said: “We are excited to have the defibrillator installed. We ultimately hope it never needs to be used, but if someone does need it and their life is saved through accessing it, that would be incredible.

“When Rock Community Church took on reopening The Phoenix it was part of their vision to make a real difference to people’s lives.

“We’ve done a huge amount prior to lockdown and even during lockdown. We want to continue to make a difference and the defibrillator is part of that.”

Rock Community Church have trained the Phoenix’s staff team as well as volunteers and local residents in the use of the machine.

More than 40 new defibrillators were installed across West Dunbartonshire in 2019 after West Dunbartonshire Council invested £50,000 in a life-saving campaign.

Anyone can use a PAD to administer emergency first aid to someone who has suffered a cardiac arrest until paramedics arrive.

All public access defibrillators are equipped with easy-to-understand instructions which mean no specialist knowledge is required. Many now come with recorded voices which “talk” the user through the correct use of the devices.

The Phoenix defibrillator adds to the network of PADs located across Dunbartonshire and the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.

To find your nearest PAD, check out trossachs defibrillator.co.uk.