In April 2016 the Tamworth Herald launched its Have A Heart campaign, designed to raise the funds to put ten defibrillators in place around the town.

Now local residents have come forward to share their stories about how the reactions of others, along with defibrillators, saved their lives.

Tony Hall was one of the people who shared his story. He suffered cardiac arrest in the street and was saved by three teenage girls who were passing by and administered CPR until two police officers arrived minutes later and ordered a defibrillator, which saved Tony’s life.

Nick Taroni, a retired businessman who received a heart transplant after suffering a serious heart attack, explained that without a defibrillator he wouldn’t be alive today.

He has even said he will donate the money required for one of the defibrillators the Have A Heart campaign aims to install.

“They should be absolutely everywhere, on shops, on buildings on every street corner,” he stated.

So far the newspaper’s campaign has resulted in six new defibrillators being installed in various locations around Tamworth, with four more required to meet the target.

However, Tamworth still has a way to go to catch up with Whittlesey in Cambridgeshire, which has 51 defibrillators dotted throughout the town and has been named the heart safe capital of the UK as a result.

Of course, these life-saving devices are much more useful when residents have undergone defibrillator training to ensure they know how to use them in an emergency. Local businesses can help by training their staff and raising awareness of defibrillator locations in their area.