BRADFORD & Bingley Rugby Football Club have become one of the latest sports club in the Bradford area to have a defibrillator on their premises.

The potentially life-saving equipment, which has been fitted to an exterior wall by the main entrance to the clubhouse, will also be for community use as anyone ringing the emergency services with a heart problem will be guided to the Wagon Lane club and be given an access code so that they can use the machine.

Funding for the new equipment was raised by the collective efforts of the rugby, canoe, hockey and athletics clubs who use the premises, as well as donations from the site's owners – the Craven Family Trust – and the Balmforth family.

Steve Balmforth, who manages the rugby club's second team, explained: "The whole initiative began when one of our players was talking on an online forum about the plight of another player at a club in the north east who had unfortunately died at pitch-side.

"The lads decided they needed to do something about this down at Wagon Lane, so got the fund-raising rolling.

"My own mum died recently in her nineties, but got 23 additional years on her life because there was a defibrillator available to bring her round after she had a heart attack and literally died in the ambulance.

"My family had no hesitation in backing this scheme and it has been tremendous to also see the support of Bingley Harriers, the Canoe Club and the hockey teams, along with the Craven Trust, to raise the money we needed."