THE chances of visitors to a Stourbridge shopping centre dying from heart attacks have decreased dramatically due to the installation of life-saving equipment.

Stourbridge’s Tesco Store has installed an automated external defibrillator (AED) – which can be the difference between life and death – for use by not only its customers but all those using the Crown Centre.

A patient’s chance of survival decreases 10 per cent for every one minute that passes without aid of a defibrillation device, but the application of an AED within five minutes of collapse gives the patient the best possible chance of survival.

Wayne Barker, store manager, said: “All large Tesco stores have been provided with a defibrillator from our head office should the need for one ever arise.

“You’ve just got to think about the number for footfall we get in the store, we have 24,000 customers a week, so anything could happen to those people while they’re in the store.

“As well as the store, the defibrillator will be available to anyone who is using the Crown Centre, so that could be the café, the library, the town hall; so the number of people benefitting from the equipment is massive.

“The good thing is that they are so easy to use. The device actually talks you through hat to do and how to do it, and if a person doesn’t need it, it won’t let anything happen.”

Staff at the store have also been helping local children who spent their Easter holidays away from their homes and in hospital.

A number of Easter eggs and toys were donated by the Crown Centre supermarket to youngsters on the children’s ward at Russell Halls Hospital recently.

Wayne said: “Russells Hall contacted us about what we could do for the children who were stuck in the ward over Easter.

“We wanted to help them out, so we provided some eggs and toys. We met with staff at the hospital who were very grateful and passed them on to the children.

“This is something we will be looking at doing again in the future, especially at Christmas and over holiday periods, as we are always looking at giving something back to our community.”