A LIFESAVING device is set to be installed in Tullibody in the near-future thanks to the generosity of local people.

An automated external defibrillator is being provided by local fundraiser Gary Drummond, who asked for the Advertiser’s help in securing a locked and heated cabinet to be placed on an external wall, to aid residents 24/7.

Alloa Round Table has now pledged pledge to fund the around £600 cabinet while Tron Court butchers J Hutchison and Sons said they will be happy to host it.

Gary also has another device at the ready and he is hoping to collect funds to install it somewhere central in Sauchie with the Advertiser today starting a drive to net cash for a second cabinet.

Public access defibrillators can save a person’s life if they collapse in a cardiac arrest while the heated and locked cabinets ensure they can be used any time of the day.

Tullibody butcher Jim highlighted the nursery near his shop now boasts a defibrillator, but it is only available when the premises are open.

He hailed the device as “a great thing” that can improve the survival chances of anyone going into a cardiac arrest.

Gary, who now runs his own good cause Drummond Charity Works Africa, was responsible for securing the first public access defibrillator for Alloa last year and since then, many communities have purchased their own.

But a few gaps still exist with hopes people will be keen to make sure there is a defibrillator in every corner of the Wee County.

Tommy McCann, paramedic team leader based at Sauchie Ambulance Station, said the devices are “absolutely lifesaving”.

He told the Advertiser: “They are very easy to use, very straightforward and the effect they have is fantastic.”

Kal Murray, chairman at Alloa Round Table, was happy to give his backing, highlighting the move as a fitting tribute to late Donald Drysdale, a former Round Table and Rotary member and a person he hailed as a “pillar of the community”.

It will also help during the annual Alloa Half Marathon he and his team organise, where a few years ago a runner collapsed.

Kal added: “Donald had done charity work in and about Clackmannanshire for decades. It will be a great tribute to him as well.”

Click here to help fund a cabinet for Sauchie, where a premises is also being sought to host the cabinet and device.