STAFF at a school in Blaenavon are celebrating after winning a life-saving defibrillator worth £1,200 in a competition.

Teachers and support staff from the town’s Heritage VC Primary School visited the National Education Show in Cardiff in October and entered a competition organised by Cardiff-based training company, Ajuda Ltd.

Blaenavon Heritage VC School’s win proved to be great timing. Staff at the school and the nearby rugby club had just begun fundraising to buy their own defibrillator.

The defibrillator will also be available to users of the nearby leisure centre, buying precious time for any casualties while ambulance crews travel from the nearest station in Pontypool.

Ajuda Ltd’s Managing Director, Dawn Evans, visited the school to deliver the defibrillator and give staff a practical demonstration of how to use it. She is dedicated to getting defibrillators in as many public spaces as possible.

She said, ‘I am absolutely thrilled to be in a position where I can give away one of these incredible devices. I’m really passionate about introducing defibrillators into public spaces and ultimately saving lives. Thanks to a life-saving defibrillator and CPR training, my father is alive today.

Defibrillators are used to give a high energy electric shock to the heart through the chest wall to someone who is in cardiac arrest. If used within the first three to five minutes after a cardiac arrest alongside CPR, they increase the chances of someone surviving by 68%.