Staff at the Coleford Co-op were dismayed on performing their frequent checks of the Defibrillator, situated on the wall outside the store, to find that the equipment inside the box had been stolen.

The kit was originally paid for, and installed by, the Somer Valley Rotary Club, and is a key life-saving device that gives a high energy electric shock to the heart through the chest wall to someone who is in cardiac arrest.

This high-energy shock is called defibrillation, and it can be an essential lifesaving step.

The discovery of the theft was quickly reported to the Chair of the Somer Valley Rotary Club, who wrote to the Somer Valley Rotary Club seeking support for the cost of a replacement. The Society, which values the importance of this vital piece of kit, was quick to respond and agreed to donate £500 towards the cost.

A spokesperson for Radstock Co-operative Society said: “It is extremely disappointing that such an important piece of equipment has been the target of petty thieves. This could have had catastrophic consequences in the event of a member of the community suffering a heart attack and being denied the opportunity to receive potentially life-saving treatment at the point of need. We felt it was our duty to offer a contribution to replacing the equipment.”

The Somer Valley Rotary Club was founded in 1995 and exists to provide social fundraising, community events and activities for disadvantaged individuals and communities.

On a wider scale, The Rotary Club has been instrumental in helping to eradicate and prevent polio through fundraising to support vaccination and health education programmes. Recent successes claim to have almost eradicated polio with a worldwide reduction in the number of cases of 99.9%.

Sunder Ganapathy, President of Somer Valley Rotary Club, said: “We are delighted to be able to assist with the replacement of the defibrillator. This is just the sort of project we like to support.

“We want to continue to be able to help our local community, but are in need of new members. If you are interested and want to find out more, please contact our Membership Officer, Phil Edmonds on: 01761 750463, or: [email protected].”