LIFE-SAVING defibrillators are to be installed in two rural communities for the first time.

Worsthorne will have one device installed near its church square and the other will be placed in a former telephone box in Hurstwood.

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The equipment, costing a total of £4,000, sends an electric shock to the heart through the chest wall to someone who is in cardiac arrest.

Worsthorne with Hurstwood Parish Council was granted the funds after an application to the British Heart Foundation (BHF) in December.

The council is also in the process of applying for a third defibrillator.

Volunteers are being urged to come forward and take part in free training on how to use the devices.

Council chairman Cllr Mark Jinkinson said having a defibrillator could make the difference in an emergency.

He said: “The time spent waiting an ambulance is crucial and every second counts. Having access to a defibrillator could do enough to keep someone going before the paramedics arrive.

“I’m really pleased for the village to now have these life-saving devices.” It comes as £1million was given to the national charity from the Department of Health last year to make to make the equipment and CPR training more accessible.

Community groups and councils can apply for grants and each application is based on access to health treatment and ambulance response times.

Cllr Pauline Frost-Hardwick said people will feel safer once the devices are installed. She said: “A defibrillator is important here, not just for residents, but for the walkers and cyclists that pass through the village.

“We have an elderly population near the village centre so its comforting to know if anyone needed it there would be help nearby.

“We need people to be trained in how to use it. I would urge everyone to get involved. I want to have a go myself.

“I would rather never have to need it but if the time came, it’s good to have people around who could use it.”

Cllr Andrew Newhouse, who represents the area on Burnley Council said: “It’s a great for everyone in the village to have a defibrillator.

“Cardiac arrests and others like it can happen very quickly and without warning, so having a device that could help save someone’s life is important.”

“The parish council and everyone behind the defibrillator should be praised.”