NORTH Tawton surgery has received a boost with the donation of a high-tech defibrillator.

The Friends of North Tawton Surgery, helped by a donation from the British Heart Foundation (BHF) was able to present the surgery with a Heartstart FR2 automatic external defibrillator.

The new state of the art machine was presented by Mrs Jean Boardman, the local representative of BHF and a founder member of the friends.

The friends was founded ten years ago and a good selection of original and new members attended the presentation, as well as several patients and local people who had contributed to the campaign.

Gordon Harrison, treasurer, said the friends was celebrating its tenth anniversary ?in style? when they handed over the cheque.

He said: ?The friends was formed with the primary aim to raise money for the surgery to maintain the insurance and maintenance of the existing defibrillator.?

He said over the years, a significant range of items had been purchased and the friends had paid the insurance for the defibrillator and autoclave.

The defibrillator worth almost £2,500 was accepted on behalf of the surgery by Dr Karen Rasaiah and Dr John Warne.

Dr Warne said: ?This superb addition to the surgery inventory is a major acquisition. It is able to deliver an electric shock to restore the heart?s normal rhythm and greatly improve the speed and quality of care we are able to offer the local community, when needed.

The defibrillator is a truly wonderful item of cardiac equipment, it could well mean the difference between life and death in an emergency call-out situation and we are thrilled at the result of this joint initiative.?

Jean Boardman, of the voluntary BHF branch in Okehampton, emphasised that heart and circulatory disease remained the UK?s number one killer.

?The provision of life-saving equipment to surgeries, the emergency services and hospitals is a very important aspect of what the foundation seeks to do in fighting this disease,? she said.

Friends chairperson Brenda Gerry said: ?We are also delighted that this team initiative has had such a successful outcome.?

Other equipment the friends have raised money for over the years includes a nurses? screen, handrail, wheelchair, garden seat, splint, pulse oximeter, drugs fridge, electronic thermometer, medical couch and paediatric stethoscope, ear syringe, district nurses? equipment, waiting room chairs, nebuliser and mask and children?s books for the waiting room.