A potentially-life saving heart defibrillator has been installed in Graig y Rhacca.
The equipment, which has been placed outside the Neighbourhood Housing Office, was originally at Bedwas Post Office.
The defibrillator, which can be used to help someone having a heart attack, was moved after another defibrillator was installed nearby at Bedwas Police Station.
Gwent Police’s policy of installing defibrillators at every police station in the force area meant there were two located across the road from each other on Church Street.
As a result, it was decided by Bedwas Trethomas Machen (BTM) Community Council to move the defibrillator from the post office to its new location after a discussion with Graig y Rhacca Community Association.
BTM community councillor Amanda McConnell said “It wasn’t a good idea having two so close together, so we decided to move the defibrillator from the post office.
“I’m happy that we can do this and offer reassurance to residents. The more defibrillators there are, the more lives that could be saved.
“Defibrillators are an asset to any community.”
However, defibrillators don’t come cheap. Cllr McConnell added: “The defibrillators cost around £1,000, while the case they’re kept in costs around £500. There’s also a cost involved in getting an electrician to install them.”
Anneke Thomas-Evers of the Graig y Rhacca Community Association, said: “This is brilliant. We’ve wanted this for a long time.
“There are defibrillators in Trethomas, Machen and Bedwas, but we’re a bit out of the way here.
“The defibrillator is pretty much in the centre of Graig y Rhacca, so most people would be able to get to it in time if it needed to be used.”
Ms Thomas-Evers added: “We contacted Cllr Amanda McConnell in November last year and asked her if there would be an opportunity to have a defibrillator installed in Graig y Rhacca.
“Amanda met with us and discussed our options. As luck would have it, Bedwas Police Station had a defibrillator installed and because that meant there would be two defibrillators in one street, Amanda arranged for us to have one of those installed here in Graig y Rhacca.
“The association were going to pay for the yearly running cost, but BTM council has kindly offered to pay this for us.
“We are very grateful to Amanda for arranging the defibrillator, installation and payment of yearly running costs for us.”
The community association is planning on holding a demonstration event over the summer holidays to teach residents how to use the equipment.
The defibrillator was originally donated to the community by the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) in memory of Jack Thomas, a 15-year-old boy from Oakdale who died from a heart attack in 2012.
Other defibrillators in the BTM ward include the ones at Machen Pharmacy and the Tesco store in Trethomas, which were both donated by CRY.
There is also a defibrillator at Bedwas Workmen’s Hall, which was donated by the Tommy Cooper Society as part of their Tommy’s Ticker campaign.