THE collapse of a man has prompted a Carlisle school to launch an appeal to buy new lifesaving equipment to be installed in its playground.

St Margaret Mary’s RC Primary School in Upperby has already raised almost £700 for a defibrillator. It hopes to top the £1,000-mark.

The plan is for the equipment to be installed safely in the playground so it can be accessed by the public in an emergency.

Headteacher Chris Wilkins said: "School has been doing what it can to raise money after a member of the local community fell ill.

"Children have been very supportive already, as has the parish centre, church and local people,” he said.

"We want to be able to raise enough money to get a defibrillator put in the school grounds. We think we’re going to need around £1,000.

"We won’t ever know if it would’ve helped in this case but it has spurred us all on to think about how we can help for if anything like this would happen again in the future."

Defibrillators are becoming a regular sight on the streets of Cumbria.

Contained in their distinctive green boxes, they are often seen on the sides of buildings, key landmarks or in other prominent locations.

The North West Ambulance Service is one of the leading organisations looking to increase the number of the machines available.

Last month, members of the Carlisle local committee of Cumbria County Council had no objections to plans to house defibrillators in more than 80 payphones in the district.

BT is working with the Community Heart Beat Trust and ambulance service to give people access to the equipment they might need during a life-threatening emergency by remodelling phone boxes, often underused ones or those in rural areas.

Defibrillators can increase survival rates by up to 50 per cent following a cardiac arrest.