A CAMPAIGN has been started to raise money for a public defibrillator in Monmouth.

Darren Childs at Helmet Hair has long wanted to have a defibrillator in the town and, with the recent collapse of a man in Agincourt Square, his resolve has been strengthened.

One of the biggest obstacles behind an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is that it needs to be connected to a power supply to make sure it is fully charged in the case of an emergency.

Darren has got around this problem by taking on the responsibility himself, deciding to put the AED on the wall outside Helmet Hair. This not only solves the power supply problem but also the potential use of it.

All the staff at Helmet Hair will be trained to use the defibrillator. If an emergency occurs outside of the shop's opening hours a code will be given to access the secure box it is stored in by the emergency services when 999 is called.

If you want to donate money towards the cost of the AED there is a collection box at Helmet Hair. Alternatively, a bank account has also been set up at Santander. To put money into the account, drop into the bank on Agincourt Square, Monmouth and quote "Monmouth Defib". This account will close when the target has been reached to make sure people don't donate money when it is no longer necessary.

Currently around £600 has been raised towards the £1,600 total.