ORGANISERS of the Dunfermline Parkrun are confident that a potential life-saving defibrillator will soon be fitted close to the Glen Pavilion.

In December, the Press revealed that the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust had agreed to provide funding for a Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) to be installed within three minutes of the finishing line after volunteers at the weekly athletics event applied for funding.

The devices provide the best chance of surviving a cardiac arrest and funding for one to be located in Pittencrieff Park comes after a life-saving campaign from the Press secured three PADs for Dunfermline town centre.

Our Take Heart campaign, which launched in August 2015, called for PADs to be placed in the town for anyone to use at any time in case the worst happens and, thanks to pledges of £1,400 from the Rotary Club of Dunfermline, the Mary Leishman Foundation and Fife Council’s Common Good fund, three are now in place at the Kingsgate Shopping Centre, The Guildhall and Linen Exchange and the City Hotel.

During a discussion on community safety at last week’s City of Dunfermline area committee, it was noted: “With support from the Dunfermline Press and local businesses, we have increased the number, and availability, of this vital piece of equipment. 

“Dunfermline can now boast access to this emergency apparatus at three town centre locations (Kingsgate Centre, City Hotel and Wetherspoon) with a further piece of kit situated at the Glen Pavilion.”

The parkrun, a free 5K event held within the Glen every Saturday, attracted a record number of 187 runners earlier this year and Elaine Stewart, volunteer and member of the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust, said: “We have the kit but we’ve not got the cabinet installed yet. 

“It needs to be installed by an electrician and has been passed on to the head of parks; it’s in the hands of the council.

“We take our defibrillator to the parkrun but it’s not available for everyone in the park to use yet. 

“We never want to use it but there’s great security knowing that it’s there. It’s not lost on us that we want it available for anyone to use.”

Last week, the Scottish Ambulance Service launched an appeal to West Fife communities to register PADs on its dedicated website.

Councillors Helen Law, chair of the City of Dunfermline area committee who championed our campaign, and Neale Hanvey both gave their backing to the campaign asking communities to provide details of where the defibrillators are located.