Members of a local gym, CrossFit Cheltenham, have taken part in a fundraising drive in order to raise money for a defibrillator.

The campaign was so successful that through a combination of crowdfunding, cake sales and raffles, the gym managed to smash their initial target of £1,395 by almost £200.

Hannah Gale, one of the managers at Crossfit Cheltenham, explains how the fundraising idea came about.

She said: “We wanted to raise money for a defibrillator that could be used by anyone nearby on the estate in an emergency.

“So we set up a JustGiving page, held raffles with members donating the prizes, things like that and in the end we beat our target.”

The defibrillator and training on how to use it is provided by charity London Hearts, whose aims are to raise awareness of heart conditions and ensure that anyone can have quick access to a defibrillator in an emergency.

CrossFit is a high intensity form of exercise that involves weight training and cardiovascular workouts, among a range of other exercises.

Cardiac arrest can occur at any time, to even the healthiest of people, and having access to a defibrillator has proven to hugely increase chances of survival.

The defibrillator will be stored inside of CrossFit Cheltenham, making it available during their opening hours for anyone in Cheltenham Trade Park to use if needed.

The members have also decided the leftover funds from their campaign will go towards a local good cause.

Hannah continued: “We are hoping to work with a couple of local charities to use the extra money to help local homeless people, and support some of the work that is currently being run throughout the town.

“It’s in its infancy at the moment but we want to try and make it a regular partnership.”