THE Mayor of Winchester will be on hand to unveil a new public access defibrillator at the city’s St John Ambulance.

Cllr Frank Pearson will join the unit’s volunteers in Worthy Lane on April 13 to mark the installation, which has been funded through the Tesco’s Bags of Help grant scheme.

Shoppers voted for a local project in stores summer, and the defibrillator scheme was awarded a grant of £2000.

Robert Ham, manager at St John’s Winchester, said: “We’re delighted to be unveiling the new defibrillator, which could be the difference between life and death for someone in cardiac arrest.

“Defibrillation within three to five minutes of collapse can lead to survival rates of up to 70 per cent, which shows how vital it is to have this equipment available for the local community.

“We’re also extremely grateful to Tesco and all the shoppers who voted for us.”

Anyone attending the unveiling will be offered a two-hour course on how to use the defibrillator and perform CPR between 12noon and 2pm.

St John’s will undertake more fundraising with a Family Fun Day at Worthies Sports and Social Club on July 28.