DINGESTOW residents are uniting to raise vital funds for a defibrillator.

The life-saving equipment costs £400 to purchase but the protective pin-coded box costs double the price of the defibrillator.

When the money is raised it is hoped the equipment will be situated on Dingestow Village Hall’s wall.

Inspired by the Friends of Dingestow, Parsons Nose village shop owner, Clare Edmonds, has decided to host a charity wine and cheese tasting evening to help give the campaign a boost.

Clare said: “Dingestow is a rural area and it can take some time for an ambulance to get here.

“If someone is in trouble the defibrillator is so important. By ringing 999 residents will be given the code to access the defibrillator in an emergency.

“We’re not just trying to bring in people from Dingestow to help with the campaign but also from the surrounding areas as this will possibly be the closest point for them in an emergency.

“At the wine tasting evening we’ll be sampling limited edition wines from a wholesaler. There’ll be wine from Italy, France and Chile.

“We’ll also be sampling a range of Welsh cheese and I’m planning on offering some from Snowdonia.”

County councillor Geoff Burrows has offered his support to the initiative. He said: “Strategically placed defibrillators are literally life savers and especially when they are placed in more isolated rural immunities, given the ongoing challenges that our ambulance and paramedics face in attending such emergencies, these units buy valuable time for the person with the medical crisis.”

Councillor Burrows said Mitchel Troy Community Council would be contributing to the defibrillator in Dingestow. He said:

“I am extremely proud of not only the Mitchel Troy Community Council that will be contributing to the defibrillator unit but to everyone who’s contributing their time and money. Let’s hope they never have to be used.”

The wine tasting evening will take place on Friday 20th November from 6.30pm at the Parsons Nose store in Dingestow.

To purchase a ticket for the evening, telephone 01600 740664 or pop in to Parsons Nose.