LIFESAVING equipment could soon be installed in the town as a group nears its fundraising target.

The Banbury Lions is putting on a concert this weekend and is hoping it will raise the final pounds for Banbury's first public access defibrillator.

The group has been working to raise the £2,000 needed for the equipment, which can be used by anyone to help those suffering a cardiac arrest.

The concert on Saturday, April 16, from 7pm at Marlborough Road Church, Banbury, will feature a selection of songs from West End classics like Les Miserables, performed by local band Impromptu.

If all 200 of the £5 tickets are sold, the Lions will hit the £1,000 target still needed.

President Ian Wilson said: "Impromptu has agreed to put the concert on for us free of charge. All proceeds will go to the appeal; we're over the moon."

The Lions has put on numerous charity projects over the years but the defibrillator appeal has been running for about six months.

Mr Wilson said: "There are defibrillators at Castle Quay and Spiceball Leisure Centre, but they are for use by trained people. "Banbury is a big town and does not have one for public access. We worked closely with Chipping Norton Lions, who have done this, and came to the conclusion that we should do something about it."

The group spoke to Banbury Town Council, which has agreed for a defibrillator to be installed in Market Place.

Defibrillators can save the lives of people going into cardiac arrest.

The operator applies electrode pads to the victim's chest, which deliver a dose of electrical energy to the heart, helping it to return to its normal rhythm.

Mr Wilson said: "What we're getting is a state-of-the-art 'Intelligent Public Access Defibrillator'.

"It sits inside a weather-proof, vandal-proof box on the wall that explains on the front how it's used, and has pictures in case people can't speak English."

People can dial 999 and the ambulance gives them a four-digit key code to use the defibrillator, which then starts 'talking' and tells people what to do.

He added the device can tell if the person has a heartbeat and will not work if it does not detect a need.

Support for the project has come from national charity the Community Heartbeat Trust, which provides cost-effective defibrillators and training to local communities.

It has helped with similar schemes in Chipping Norton and across South Oxfordshire.

National secretary Martin Fagan said: "What the Banbury Lions are doing is brilliant.

"They're going head over heels to get this in and it's an example of how it should be done."

The Banbury Cake's sister paper the Oxford Mail has backed a campaign by Dick Tracey, divisional responder commander for South Central Ambulance Service, to bring more public defibrillators to locations across Oxfordshire.

At the end of this financial year, 203 new units had been installed as a result, with a further 100 planned for the next year.

Mr Tracey said: "We have done particularly well in the west of the county. My primary efforts in the next twelve months are in the north and south.

"This news in Banbury really pleases me, as I'm sure it's only the start."

To purchase tickets for Saturday's event email banburylions@gmail.com or visit WeGotTickets.com Tickets are also available from Banbury Museum and on the door.

The Lions are also running a text appeal. To donate, text text “LIONS23 £5” (or any amount from £1 upwards) to 70070