People in the Ledbury area will have more chance of surviving a heart attack, thanks to the launch of the town's own Community First Responder scheme.

The new service, set up by the Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service NHS Trust, makes use of trained volunteers who could be first on the scene in the case of some medical emergencies.

Several volunteers have already been trained in life-saving skills, including the use of a portable defibrillator for heart attack victims.

Ledbury-based volunteer Lorraine Wadley said: "We work on a rota-basis, from home. If anyone collapses in our area, we can get there very quickly and provide care in a few minutes, before the paramedics and the ambulance arrive.

"People should still call 999 in the normal way. This just means that the ambulance service will be able to send someone from within our local community, as well as an emergency ambulance."

The new service is scheduled to be launched this morning (Friday), at Ledbury Ambulance Station.

Frances Martin, the ambulance service's director of operations, said "While an ambulance will arrive at seventy-five per cent of all life-threatening calls within eight minutes, a cardiac arrest can occur at any time, in any place.

"The Community First Responder Scheme in Ledbury will undoubtedly increase the chance of survival for those affected."

Ledbury was chosen for the scheme because the ambulance service has logged 124 incidences of cardiac arrests and heart problems in the area, during the past 12 months.

"That's a hell of a lot for a small town," said scheme spokesman Michelle Brotherton.