A FELIXSTOWE doctors' surgery has a new piece of life-saving equipment today, thanks to a Christian charity supporting the resort.The BASIC Life Charity presented the £1,900 portable defribrillator to the Haven Health Practice on Cavendish Park.

A FELIXSTOWE doctors' surgery has a new piece of life-saving equipment today, thanks to a Christian charity supporting the resort.

The BASIC Life Charity presented the £1,900 portable defribrillator to the Haven Health Practice on Cavendish Park.

The surgery in Grange Farm Avenue made an application to the charity's town centre shop for funding for the essential piece of equipment.

Practice Manager Stephen Litherland thanked the charity for its generous support.

“It is a particularly vital piece of equipment for the practice, being modern and simple to operate,” he said.

“The fact that it is also portable means that we may use it in the local community if necessary. It is a definite boon to the practice and will provide us with many years' service.”

Defibrillators work by delivering a controlled electric shock through the chest wall to the heart to restore a normal heartbeat after a heart attack.

BASIC - Business and Service in Christ - Life trustee Graham Denny said the charity was delighted its new shop in Orwell Road was being so well supported and had been able to offer immediate financial assistance to meet many local needs.

The charity has raised more than £60,000 for good causes at the resort in the past four years.

These have included a specialist bed, defibrillator and ice-machine for Felixstowe General Hospital, help for Orwell and Deben High Schools, FACTS, Level 2 youth centre, Felixstowe Volunteer Coastal Patrol, Felixstowe Guides, The Felixstowe Youth Worker Trust, Felixstowe Seafarers, Trinity Family Centre and many more groups and organisations.

WEBLINK: www.basic.org.uk