Residents of a Petersfield estate have proved that charity begins at home by providing half the funds for a lifesaving device.

There were cheers around Broadway Park as the mayor cut the ribbon to a £2,500 public access defibrillator.

Residents launched the project almost a year ago with Trish Clinker spearheading the planning and fundraising.

Site owners Roly Foster and Emma West provided funding while EHDC, Petersfield Town Council, Petersfield Lions and the Petersfield Round Table also made donations.

But park home residents were the real lifesavers as they raised half the funding – with the help of some friends and family – through events like a Christmas raffle and New Year concert.

Town mayor Cllr JC Crissey declared the defibrillator “accessible to all” at the grand commissioning last Tuesday, May 7.

Mike Gibson, chair of the Broadway Park Residents Association, said he was “overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness” of so many people who made the project become a reality.

“Thank you for every person who made this possible – we hope our contribution to the defibrillator network will help save lives,” said Mr Gibson, who launched a GoFundMe page last autumn to boost fundraising.

Around 200 people live on the estate but the device could potentially serve 600 when hikers, dog walkers and the greater Causeway population is taken into consideration.

The device at the site office has also been registered with the ambulance service so anyone in the vicinity calling 999 will be directed to the machine.