A weekly newspaper has launched a campaign to get 100 life-saving defibrillators installed across its patch.

The Cornishman has set up its Heart Start campaign which aims to prevent cardiac deaths by getting 100 of the machines installed in public places across the county over the next 12 months.

It also hopes to get 500 people trained to use the defibrillators, which will be sited in schools, train stations, shops and sports centres.

The paper has highlighted that across the UK, 2,000 people die each week after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest, including the deaths of up to 270 children a year in schools.

When someone suffers a cardiac arrest, they are 10 times more likely to survive if CPR is coupled with the use of a defibrillator.

Cornishman reporter Johanna Carr, who is running the campaign for the paper, said: “We don’t want to have to report on a story where someone has died because this simple piece of equipment wasn’t available.

“This campaign gives us the opportunity to raise awareness and will hopefully help to save lives.”

For its campaign, the title is working with the Ronnie Richards Memorial Charity, which was set up in memory of a Penzance man who died from a heart attack on a football pitch in 2008.

A year ago, there were no public access defibrillators in Cornwall but seven have since been installed in various locations.

In the first week of the Cornishman’s campaign, three people have stepped forward offering to fund the life-saving machines for schools and sports clubs.