MEMBERS of Bridgwater’s Masonic Lodges have helped fund a life-saving piece of equipment after answering a call for help from the police.

PCSO Sam Labanc, based at Bridgwater police station, put out an appeal for money to buy a heart defibrillator.

Thanks to support from the Lodges, who are raising money through a series of charity initiatives to mark the 275th anniversary of Freemasonry in Somerset, the device has since been bought for £1,000.

Several police officers and PCSOs from the town's neighbourhood policing team have been trained to assist with emergencies in the town centre.

Insp Nic Crocker said: "We are very grateful for the generosity shown by the town's Lodges. “The first duty of the police is to save life and this equipment provides another way in which we can help our community."