LIFE-SAVING equipment is to be installed at three locations in Bookham after a defibrillator was stolen by "mindless thieves".
Businesses in the village held a raffle to fund a replacement for the stolen Public Access Defibrillator (Pad) after it was taken from a cabinet in High Street in January.
Public outcry ensured that enough funds were raised for two Pads, while another was donated by Northern Irish company HeartSine.
The Pads will now been placed in "strategic locations" throughout the village, namely High Street, Church Road and outside the Old Barn Hall.
Councillor Paul Newman (Con, Bookham North), who helped manage the raffle, said: "It is absolutely fantastic that we have these machines that, make no mistake, are going to save lives.
"To raise the money that we did, namely £1,600, in just under two weeks is a real testament to the community spirit of the village and we are all very proud of what has happened.
"It is out of adversity, where mindless thieves have made off with valuable equipment, that we have actually come off in a better and safer situation."
The original defibrillator was funded by the Rotary Club of Bookham and Horsley with the legacy of Horsley pharmacist Bob King, and placed at the site of a fatal cardiac arrest several years ago.
Keith Slark, chairman of Bookham Community Association, which runs the Old Barn Hall, said: "We are delighted with this very generous donation from HeartSine.
"The peace of mind provided by having this potentially lifesaving equipment at our halls is immense."
The Pads, which can deliver a shock to restart a heart in cardiac arrest, can be used by any member of the public and a training session was held at the Old Barn Hall on March 6.
Mr Newman added: "The session was all about inspiring confidence in people that anyone can use them and getting over that fear is important to saving a life.
"People see that it is life-saving equipment and they can get a little flustered by that, but by knowing how to use them, and realising the machine does most of the work for you, we can insure that we get the most out of them."
A defibrillator is a life-saving machine that gives the heart an electric shock in some cases of cardiac arrest. This is called defibrillation and can save lives. Cardiac arrest is when the heart stops pumping blood around the body. When someone has a cardiac arrest, defibrillation needs to be prompt. According to the British Heart Foundation, for every minute that passes without defibrillation chances of survival decrease by 14 per cent. Research shows that applying a controlled shock within five minutes of collapse provides the best possible chances of survival Craig Chitty, of the Effingham and District First Responders, said: "Evidence clearly indicates that early defibrillation alongside effective CPR significantly increases the survival rates of patients suffering a cardiac arrest in the community. "The importance of members of the public learning life-saving skills and the role Pads can play in the vital minutes before the arrival of ambulance clinicians in saving people's lives cannot be underestimated."