A sports fan who survived a heart attack has welcomed the installation of a device in Bishopton which could save other lives in the event of cardiac arrest.

Tom Lambie joined volunteers from the St John Scotland charity to unveil a defibrillator at the village’s community centre.

Last year, Tom – who runs a karate club at the community centre – suffered cardiac arrest but survived after paramedics used a defibrillator to restart his heart, which had stopped beating for nine minutes.

He said: “I am so happy to see that the community centre now has a defibrillator installed and that it has the potential to save lives, both for the hall users and the community as a whole, if it is ever needed.”

Cardiac arrest affects around 3,500 people in Scotland each year, yet survival rates are as low as one in 20.

Volunteers at Bishopton Community Centre raised money to cover most of the costs of the defibrillator, with St John Scotland topping up funds as part of its scheme to increase public access to the devices across the country.

Experts from St John Scotland also hosted a free drop-in session at the community centre to teach locals how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Angus Loudon, executive director of St John Scotland, said: “Our work as a charity is all about saving and enhancing life, so we are very pleased that we’ve been able to work with Bishopton Community Centre to install this defibrillator and offer free CPR training to the local community.”

Lynne Hutchinson, chair of Bishopton Community Centre Association, added: “You never know when someone is going to have a cardiac arrest, so we’re pleased that we now have access to a defibrillator in case the worst should happen.”