LIFE-SAVING volunteers could be on stand-by throughout the Ribble Valley thanks to new a scheme being set up in the borough's outskirts.

Ordinary people will be trained to give life-saving treatment to suspected heart attack victims in the vital minutes between them falling ill and being reached by paramedics.

The project will be run by the Heart of Lancashire Appeal, one of the charities being supported by Ribble Valley Mayor, Councillor Chris Holtom.

The volunteers, known as first responders, will be trained in basic life-saving techniques, such as mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and chest compressions.

The responders will also be taught how to use a portable defibrillator which can deliver an electric shock to a patient's chest. The machines are automatic and will not accidentally shock a patient who is not having a heart attack.

Volunteers, both men and women, will work on a rota basis depending on the hours they are available. They will be taught and updated by volunteer trainers and their rota system run by managers.

The responders will be paged by the ambulance service if a person within their area has reported chest pains, difficulty in breathing or a suspected heart attack. The idea is that they will bridge that vital few minutes gap before the paramedics can get there, often up to half an hour in remote villages. First responder groups are planned for the villages of Slaidburn, Dunsop Bridge and Bolton-by-Bowland.

Funding to raise the £10,000 needed to buy three portable defibrillators, to be used in and around each village, is well under way by the Friends of Slaidburn Country Practice.

Money to buy at least two of them has already been collected. In addition, the first of two training sessions has already taken place with paramedics from the Wyre, the birthplace of first response schemes, coming over to Slaidburn.

Anyone wishing to join the volunteers or help raise funds can get more information from Dorothy Pearson, chair of the Friends of Slaidburn Practice, on 01200 446169.