TWO more machines which could potentially save lives are on standby in the Forest.

The defibrillators, which help regulate the heartbeat, are at St John’s Church of England Academy in Coleford and Coalway Methodist Chapel.

A cabinet has been bought to make the Coalway defibrillator available to everyone in the area while a new machine is at the school.

There have already been a number of instances in the Forest where defibrillators have been used to help people having heart problems, gaining valuable minutes until the emergency services arrive.

The defibrillator at St John’s was provided by the charity Hand on Heart after a bid by governor Andy Tootell.

He said: “I’m a health and safety manager and I’ve put 11 defibrillators into the community which was funded by Two Rivers (housing association).

“On the basis of being put forward for an award for that initiative I linked up with a charity called Hand on Heart who give away two defibrillators a month to make schools aware of sudden cardiac deaths which affects 12 people a week.

“We’ve had four defibrillators used – I don’t know if they saved lives but they have been used.”

Last June a defibrillator was purchased in memory of Audrey Blake, for the chapel use, but afterwards some of the congregation decided that it should be available to everyone in the Coalway and surrounding areas.

The cabinet was funded by grants from Coleford Town Council, Coalway coffee morning group and Coalway Chapel.

Property steward, Julie Ellerslie said: “In order to have the defibrillator outside it needs to be in a cabinet.

“We can’t thank everybody enough for their kind donations. The defibrillator means a lot to the chapel as it is in memory of my mother, Audrey Blake, who died suddenly in 2014 from a massive heart attack.”

There were also celebrations for the coffee group who host a coffee morning once a month at the chapel. Since 2004 they have raised more than £12,000 which goes towards supporting local charities.

Julie added: “We are grateful to receive almost £1,000 from the three grants towards the purchase of the defibrillator cabinet. It means that the entire community can benefit from it in the event that somebody suffers cardiac arrest.

“Marian and Sue do such a great job running the coffee morning. For such a small group the amount they have raised is amazing and each month they bring the community together over a cup of coffee and biscuits.”