L-R: Jilly Rice, Emma Rice, Roger Budgen, Chair St. Paul Malmesbury Without PC, Martin Rice, David Hide, Chairman MLOF, Ray Sanderson.

Milbourne, in St. Paul Malmesbury Without, is the latest local parish council to receive a life-saving defibrillator from the Malmesbury League of Friends (MLOF).

The defibrillator is installed in an old telephone box in Milbourne Lane and has been dedicated to former local resident Phil Rice, who sadly passed away last year. He had been a MLOF trustee and was very active in the local community.

21 local parish councils have already received funding from MLOF to install defibrillators in their villages and others are still considering the offer from MLOF for funding towards their installation.

Automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) have been described as the single most important development in the treatment of sudden cardiac arrest. Designed for use by untrained lay persons, they have improved the outcomes of literally thousands of people who have suffered from cardiac arrests.

MLOF chairman David Hide said: “We are delighted to have worked with another local parish council to enable it to have access to this potentially life-saving equipment.”

St Paul Malmesbury Without Parish Council Chairman Roger Budgen said: “We are very grateful to MLOF and to be able to dedicate the defibrillator to Phil Rice, a wonderful local resident who did so much for Malmesbury and District”.