Morrisons has won a St John Ambulance Everyday Heroes award for installing life saving defibrillators in all of its stores.

The £500,000 initiative, funded by the retailer’s charitable arm, Morrisons Foundation, has saved at least five lives since it began a year ago.

First aid charity St John Ambulance named the supermarket winner of the Workplace Heroes category in its annual awards, which celebrate those who stepped forward when it mattered most to help people with first aid, to support communities and have a positive impact on health.

Defibrillators, also known as AEDs, can dramatically improve the chances of a patient surviving a cardiac arrest, when combined with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

As part of the initiative, Morrisons also arranged for more than 2,300 employees to attend sessions on how to use defibrillators and give CPR run by St John Ambulance volunteers. See this week’s paper for more stories like this, available in shops and as a Digital Edition now.