A SCHOOL caretaker has trekked 75 miles to help install a new public access defibrillator in the heart of his community.

Steve Blethyn decided to take part in the 'Radstock to Radstock' challenge after the bar manager the Earley social club lost his brother-in-law to a heart problem.

The 53-year-old, who is also a trained first aider, is hoping to raise just over £1,000 by walking from Radstock in Somerset to Earley Radstock Social Club over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Although there are potentially three of the life-saving devices nearby at any given time, two of these could be locked away in the school depending on the time of day.

He said: "I may live next to the club, but I am walking from the other Radstock, the one where the local school got its logo and the dragonfly fossil was found.

"The bar manager Martin Anderton lost his brother-in-law Neil Emmett to a heart problem and this may or may not have been avoidable if a defibrillator was nearby.

"If the school is shut, which it is if the social club is open and I am out saving lives then the club and local residents have no access to a device that could save a life.

"Hopefully it sits there gathering dust and is never used, but if just one person’s life is saved because it is available then my aching feet will have earned a soak."

No stranger to fundraising challenges, the caretaker for Radstock Primary School walked from Glasgow to the Madejski Stadium three years ago.

Generous donations from friends and members of the social club have been pouring in for the caretaker, who posted regular updates on his progress before arriving in Earley on Monday.....

Steve, who manages Beyond First Aid, added: "None of us at the social club are spring chickens so it is something that could happen to any of us.

"I have got a defibrillator in the boot of my car, but if I am not at the club then it is vital we have access to one."

Visit: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/radstock2radstock to donate.