A PENARTH man is aiming to raise £1500 to fund an outdoor defibrillator in the town.

James King, who is a voluntary community first responder for the Welsh Ambulance Service and volunteer crew member for the RNLI, said he has identified the need for one on the seafront.

He is crowdfunding to supply a public access 24 hour device for The Esplanade.

His proposed location is the wall of Penarth Lifeboat Station.

Mr King said that he is currently aware of defibrillators at Penarth Pier, the Co-operative shop in the town centre, the Paget Rooms and at Tesco on Terra Nova Way but feels a 24 hour outdoor device is needed at the south end of The Esplanade.

He oversees a team of five first responders who cover Penarth, Dinas Powys, Llandough and Sully and they carry two defibrillators between them.

In July, the Tesco defibrillator came into use when staff used it to save a man's life who was "10 or 15 minutes from death" in the car park.

It comes as the Welsh Ambulance Service has launched its shoctober month which aims to teach primary school children life saving techniques

He said: "If used promptly, a defibrillator can increase the chance of survival of out of hospital cardiac arrest from seven per cent to forty or fifty per cent.

"There are approximately 60,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests each year in the UK.

"Early defibrillation is an essential life saving step in the chain of survival and anyone can use a defibrillator with no training."

Mr King also wants to run public defibrillator sessions at the end of this month.

To make a donation, visit www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/penarth-esplanade-defib.