Ross Tennis Centre have recently announced that they have installed an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) at its pavilion on Walford Road.

The Tennis Centre was able to install the AED thanks to funding from Ross-on-Wye Town Council and Herefordshire Community Foundation. The AED is available for use by members of the public if someone nearby has suffered a cardiac arrest.

Fast access to an AED can be the difference between life and death for someone suffering a sudden cardiac arrest, and the tennis centre management were delighted to be awarded a grant of £1,000 by Ross Town Council, and a separate grant of £549 from Herefordshire Community Foundation, to cover the entire cost of the AED and its installation.

The unit is located in a locked cabinet on the outside of the pavilion, the code for which will be provided when needed by West Midlands Ambulance Service following a 999 call. Members of the public do not need to be trained in how to use an AED because the device itself provides clear audible instructions on what to do at each step of the process.

A spokesperson for Ross Tennis Centre said: "We are most grateful to Ross-on-Wye Town Council and Herefordshire Community Foundation for their support of our application for funds to enable us to install this Defibrillator. While we hope it won’t ever be needed for any of our members or visitors, it is a comfort to know that we now have one."