Big Hearted readers of the Carmarthen Journal have helped raise nearly £50,000 to put life saving heart defibrilators in police cars in the region.

Thanks to the generosity of Journal readers, and funding from the British Heart Foundation, Dyfed Powys will be the first area in Wales to install the life saving resuscitation equipment in police cars.

The Journal launched its Have A Heart campaign together with Dyfed Powys Police, and after just seven months enough money has been raised to buy 30 defibrilators.

Police officers will be trained to use the machines, and working alongside the ambulance service will get to heart attack victims quickly.

Chief Constable Terry Grange said: “This is a dream come true. I never believed we would really raise this much money. I would like to thank readers for their generosity.

“This campaign obviously struck a chord with people and it just goes to show the fantastic level of community spirit we have.”

Journal editor Alan Osborn said: “This was a vital campaign and we can’t thank our readers enough for their marvellous work and support.

“We wanted to get all our readers involved in the fundraising, and our hopes were realised. Together we have achieved an incredible goal.”

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