A campaign has been launched to teach life-saving skills to people in four communities within the area.

Colwyn Business Improvement District (Colwyn BID) has funded the installation of nine defibrillators in Old Colwyn, Colwyn Bay, Mochdre and Rhos-on-Sea which are all located in public areas accessible 24 hours, seven days a week.

A number of free training sessions are set to be held in the area to teach residents the skills they need to one day potentially save a life.

The first free training session at Old Colwyn Community Centre, Greenhill Road, attracted a number would-be life-savers from across the area.

There are more sessions planned at Old Colwyn Community Centre on Monday, March 11, and the Station pub, Station Road, Colwyn Bay, on April 10, between 6pm and 8pm on both occasions.

Colwyn BID manager, Cheryl Williams, said the defibrillators will prove to be a valuable asset to the area.

She said: “We need to ensure the community is aware they are there and how they work. The more people trained in the use of defibrillators, the better.

“The cost of installing the PADS was more than £15,000, including the cabinets they are stored in. We installed special stainless steel cabinets for those located near the seafront to help prevent corrosion.

“We have put on the training sessions with the help of Tomos Hughes, who started his own charity Achub Calon y Dyffryn (Saving the Heart of the Valley).

“Tomos works with the Welsh Ambulance Service and the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and is teaching people how to use PADS and how to carry out basic First Aid.

“I’m delighted so many members of the general public and not just BID members have come along to take part in the training. The knowledge they gain and the skills they learn could well save a life.”

Supply teaching assistant Libre DiCapula, who lives in Colwyn Bay, took her daughter Saskia, 11, along to the training event and says the experience was well worth it.

She said: “I wanted my daughter to get an understanding of what to do in the event of someone having a cardiac arrest and I wanted her to know how to use a defibrillator.

“I also wanted to refresh my own skills as it’s several years since I last did any training. Tomos was fantastic and the session was absolutely brilliant. I’ve been on lots of courses but this was the best and I came away a lot more confident and felt I’d learned a great deal.

“Saskia also enjoyed it and was pleased she agreed to come along. She was a little apprehensive of the dummies that are used as a teaching aid but once she got going it was fine.

“It’s brilliant Colwyn BID put the training session on and allowed everyone to attend, it might just save a life.”