SCHOOL supporters raised hundreds of pounds for new equipment and training- which they hope never has to be used.

The potentially lifesaving defibrillator has been installed at St Charles RC Primary School, in Spennymoor, where pupils have also had first aid training.

The kit was funded by the Friends of Tudhoe St Charles who were motivated by the sudden death of a local man they desperately wish they had been able to help when he took ill outside the school, on Durham Road.

Volunteers, along with staff and children at the school, had long wanted to have a defibrillator onsite in case of emergency but not managed to secure one.

But they were spurred on again after former Spennymoor United footballer David ‘Kid’ Curry collapsed and died nearby last September and the school did not have the equipment that could have helped.

The charity launched a fundraising campaign and in three sessions a monthly film club made the £500 needed for the machine and paid for all pupils to attend a St John Ambulance first aid course.

Chairman of the Friends charity Darren Dailey said: “It is important to have it for everyone here such as staff and also for the wider community.

“I am extremely proud of the efforts from all involved in helping to raise the vital funds necessary to buy this life-saving equipment.

“Hopefully we will never need to use it but it is peace of mind for families and the local community.”