A CHARITY which collected money at the Mappfest music festival in the summer has bought a defibrillator for the Malvern Cube.

The Charlotte and Craig Saving Hearts Foundation was founded by Redditch couple Robert and Maggie Underwood, who lost two teenage children to heart disease.

Because Mappfest founder Andy Mapp invited them to set up their stall and raise funds at his summer rock fest on the Link Common, they decided to repay his kindness by funding a defibrillator for Malvern.

The defibrillator has now been installed in a cabinet outside the main entrance of the community centre in Albert Road North.

Mr Underwood said: "In the event of a cardiac arrest a defibrillator is a vital part of the chain of survival and will increase the chance of survival to up to 80 per cent .

"Sadly cardiac arrest don't just affect the old, with up to 19 young adults losing their lives every week from undiagnosed heart conditions. "his is why it is very important more defibrillators are widely available.

"The kind donations to our charity from the festival goers made it possible for us to purchase a life-saving IPAD SP1 defibrillator and a cabinet which has now been placed on the outside wall of the Cube. This allows 24-hour access to the defibrillator by simply calling 999 and telling the operator the code on the box, then they will tell you the access code to get the defibrillator.

"We would also like to thank Worcester County Council who kindly let us put it on the wall of one of their buildings. We look forward to installing many more public access defibrillators in the Malvern area.

Courses for the use of the defibrillator along with cardio-pulmonary resuscitation will be available for the vario groups that use the Cube, along with members of the public.

Jill Terry, chair of Malvern Youth and Community Trust, which runs the Cube, said: "Malvern Cube is at the heart of the local community and we were delighted to have been approached by Andy and Rob to host this vital piece of life-saving equipment."

Cllr Hannah Campbell applauded the incredible hard work and generosity of Mr Mapp, which has allowed CCSHF to purchase and installation of the defib possible. "Andy is always putting the local community before himself. He’s a great example to us all," she said.