A project has been launched in efforts to campaign for more publicly accessible defibrillators in Weston-super-Mare.

Known as the "Donate for Defib", the initiative aims to increase the availability of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) within the community, to ensure immediate lifesaving action in cases of cardiac arrest.

Many businesses and community organisations have already purchased defibrillators, while others are actively fundraising for one.

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Community defibrillators should be registered on The Circuit, the national directory listing all defibrillators with public or restricted access.

This allows emergency services to promptly inform any individual dialing 999 for a cardiac emergency about the location and access to the nearest defibrillator.

The project maintains that all publicly accessible defibrillators should be within a three-minute return walk from any spot in a public location or site to be utilised optimally.

So far, the project has successfully installed four new accessible defibrillators with others still inbound.

In the event of a cardiac emergency, after calling 999, the services will provide the location of the nearest publicly accessible defibrillator.

These defibrillators are usually housed in a locked cabinet outside venues and the code to access it is provided by the emergency services.

Professor Graham Stuart, a consultant cardiologist and the Project Clinical lead ambassador, gave his support to the cause.

He said: "I am delighted to support the excellent work of Donate For Defib Weston-super-Mare Project.

"There is absolutely no doubt early cardioversion can be life-saving in patients experiencing a cardiac arrest.

"Moreover, the earlier the cardioversion takes place the better the outcome.

"The best way to achieve this is to increase the availability of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) in their community.

"This is an incredibly important project."

The project aims for every individual suffering a cardiac arrest to receive immediate CPR and defibrillation within five minutes.

The initiative also stresses the fact that each one minute delay can decrease a victim's survival chances by 10 per cent, further emphasising the necessity of accessible community defibrillators.

To learn more, support the initiative, or register a defibrillator, interested parties can reach out to donatefordefib.wsm@gmail.com or visit the project's website (www.donatefordefibwsm.co.uk).