A defibrillator donated to the Shipley Islamic Education Centre near Bradford has saved a man’s life just six months after it was installed.

The lifesaving device was provided through the British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) national community defibrillator scheme, funded by money raised by Royal Mail staff.

“We told all the users of the centre to communicate to their families and neighbours that we had a defibrillator and that it was here unlocked and ready to be used,” said Ashraf Miah, secretary general of the centre, Asian Image reported.

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Within half a year, the defibrillator was used on a man from the South Asian community who suffered a cardiac arrest at home.

“Someone ran to the centre and got it and used it on him and then the ambulance came and his life was saved. He was in his 60s and it happened without warning,” Mr Miah said.

He added: “The family came back to the centre to say thank you. You must suppose that if we had not been given the defibrillator then this man could very likely have died. We are so grateful to Royal Mail and the British Heart Foundation for giving us this.”

Highlighting the importance of the device, Miah said, “We are very aware that people from our community have a higher risk of developing coronary heart disease which can lead to cardiac arrests, so we feel better protected knowing this defibrillator is close to hand.”

The centre serves a wide range of purposes including prayer, Quran study, women’s groups, exercise classes, and children’s activities.