New lifesaving equipment has been installed at a garden centre thanks to a donation from a charity.
An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) was presented to Caerphilly Garden Centre, in Nantgarw, by charity Welsh Hearts.
The centre has approximately 150,000 visitors a year and the new defibrillator can help people who may fall ill.
Welsh Hearts aim is the prevention and management of heart disease and to fund cardiovascular medical research based in Wales. It is also funding the installation of defibrillators, which cost around £1,200, in locations across Wales.
The charity has said it chose Caerphilly Garden Centre after a number of incidents over the years where visitors had suffered a cardiac arrest.
Sharon Owen, the charity’s director, said: “We hope the defibrillator never has to be used, but if it does then lives will be saved as a consequence.
“When someone suffers a cardiac arrest, their chances of survival drop by up to 14% for every minute that passes, so a speedy response is crucial. Early defibrillation, within four to five minutes, gives the best possible chance of survival.
“In Wales there are approximately 5,000 sudden cardiac arrests outside hospital each year. There is a survival rate of 3%. Where an defibrillator is used, the survival rate is 47% to 50%.”
Ryan Flowers, manager of Caerphilly Garden Centre, said: “We’d been after a defibrillator for quite some time but they are quite expensive. We were astounded when Welsh Hearts agreed to donate one to us. We have so many visitors through the door each year and it gives us peace of mind that it’s there.
“Now we’ve got one, I hope we’ll never have to use it.”
• For more information about Welsh Hearts visit www.welshhearts.org.