A PUBLIC access defibrillator has been installed in Hutton-le-Hole thanks to local fundraising.

The unit, which is housed on one the external walls of Ryedale Folk Museum, will be available for use by residents and visitors who come to the village.

Jennifer Smith, Ryedale Folk Museum’s director, said: “The village welcomes many thousands of visitors each year. Given our rural location and the time it can take for the emergency services to reach us, it seemed a ‘no brainer’ to have this potentially life-saving kit.”

A defibrillator is a portable device, which provides a high energy electric shock to the heart, when a person is in cardiac arrest. The shock is called defibrillation and can be life-saving, while help is awaited from the emergency services.

Funding for the defibrillator was secured from North Yorkshire County Councillor Val Arnold’s locality budget, Ryedale District Council’s community fund, Hutton-le-Hole Parish Council, Ryedale Folk Museum and a public collection held in the village’s Crown Inn.

In addition, a generous donation was given by WS Electrical (York). The company’s owner, Wayne Scott, lives in the village.

Mr Scott said: “This village is my home. I have been delighted to help make this project a reality.

“While we hope to never use defibrillator, it may one day save the life of someone in the community. That will make all the effort worth it.”

Mr Scott’s donation will also provide funding for some defibrillator familiarisation and training sessions, which the village hopes to run in the coming weeks.

The sessions will be open to village residents and those working in the village.

The defibrillator unit is now permanently housed in a heated cabinet on the external wall of Ryedale Folk Museum, which faces the Crown Inn in the centre of the village.