A life-saving defibrillator has been installed in the heart of Hitchin.

St Mary's Church has had a defibrillator installed on the front of Church House, which is available to use at any minute of the day or night.

St Mary's device - which gives a high energy shock to the heart of someone who is in cardiac arrest - comes courtesy of Hitchin AED (Automatic External Defibrillator).

Hitchin AED was created by Maggie Hackney more than 20 years ago, to help provide public access defibrillators in and around our town - and has funded, part funded or advised on eighteen AEDs in our community so far.

Maggie said: "We were one of the first towns of this size and population to have a defibrillator scheme.

"Recently, due to the partnership with St Mary's Church, we have installed an AED on the front wall of Church House which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"Thanks to Morag Norgan, Norgans Estate Agents in Brand Street is the volunteer guardian for this site."

If you would like to make a donation towards the HItchin AED fund. Please contact Maggie Hackney at [email protected]

The importance of a defibrillator

If a person's heart stops or goes into some abnormal heart rhythm, the only way to get the heart into normal electrical activity is to pass an electrical charge through the heart with an AED.

The first three to four minutes are the most important for a collapsed person, and if cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is used and a defibrillator is available, the chance of survival improves significantly.

In the event of a person collapsing you always need to call 999 first 

The Ambulance Service will ask you a series of questions to establish what is happening. They are aware of the available AEDs and give you the code to the cabinet.

The AED will talk to you when you switch it on and tell you what to do.

The ambulance will be on its way and if you can put your phone on loud speaker, ambulance control will guide you and support you .

If you would like to know how to recognise a cardiac arrest and what to do the British Heart Foundation has a training App called ReviveR. www.bhf.org.uk

The defibrillator

Twelve of Hitchin's AEDs are linked to the National Defibrillator Network via the 'circuit.'

The 'circuit' is a British Heart Foundation initiative which connects these lifesaving machines with the East of England Ambulance Service.

Each machine has a volunteer guardian who checks the AED regularly and will receive an email via the circuit if the AED may have been used.

If an AED is used the guardian will then replace any single use components and deep clean . When this has been completed, the guardian will reactivate the AED with the circuit ready for action.