A LIFE-SAVING community defibrillator has been installed in the village of Quorn.

The defibrillator – in a former public telephone box in Station Road – has been fitted thanks to the efforts of Quorn Parish Council, Charnwood Borough Council, the Community Heartbeat Trust and local charity the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust (JHMT).

More and more defibrillators are being installed in village locations up and down the country, to help provide vital life-saving support if someone suffers sudden cardiac arrest. As well as the equipment itself, easy-to-follow instructions are provided on how to operate it.

The equipment has been funded by the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust, with installation costs covered by the parish and borough councils. The Community Heartbeat Trust helped source a weatherproof cabinet for the defibrillator and will provide ongoing training and support.

Charles Poole from the Joe Humphries Memorial Trust said: "It's great news that this facility is available for use if it's needed in an emergency, with the community able to access it 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"Getting a defibrillator to someone who is suffering a cardiac arrest can make a huge difference to survival rates. Sudden heart conditions can strike anyone, at any time – even seemingly fit and healthy young people – so it's vital that we bring more of these defibrillators out into the community. We'd like to see them become a common, everyday sight in towns and villages across the country."

The Joe Humphries Memorial Trust was set up in memory of Rothley teenager Joe Humphries, who collapsed and tragically died from SADS – sudden arrhythmic death syndrome – in October 2012 while out jogging.

The Trust campaigns for greater awareness of sudden heart deaths, as well as providing CPR training, delivered by health professionals, for sports clubs and schools.

The Trust also runs an awards scheme called Inspire aimed at helping young people to fulfill their potential by providing small grants for sporting, arts and community endeavours.

To find out more, visit www.jhmt.org.uk