Manx charity Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation is marking a major milestone this week, celebrating the installation of its 600th defibrillator on the Isle of Man.

The life-saving device has been fitted at the Okell’s Brewery building in Kewaigue, marking over a decade of tireless work by the charity, which was set up in memory of Craig Lunt.

Craig was a 25-year-old St George’s and Corinthians footballer who tragically died of an undiagnosed heart defect in 2005.

Charity chairman Paul Healey described the achievement as a ‘pretty proud moment’ for the Foundation.

‘This machine may be vital to the offices and factory in the premises,’ he said. ‘We’ve worked closely with Okell’s Brewery over the last year and hope to do more together soon.’

Reflecting on the charity’s journey, he added: ‘The very first defibrillator was installed in 2012 following the collapse of Bolton footballer Fabrice Muamba.

‘That moment gave us the push to begin installing them across the island, at sports clubs, schools, offices, and public spaces.

‘Now, everywhere we go, we want to see one of these machines.’

He also thanked Ollie Neale and Donna Brown for their help with the latest installation, and said the committee remains committed to continuing this life-saving work.

Paul added: ‘One of our main focuses now is to ensure the upkeep of the machines, because we have had some that have dropped off the map because they’ve not been well looked after.

‘If you have a machine, please go to www.debifs.ib and register it, even if it’s in a building, the ambulance service will want to know that.

Meanwhile, bookings for the charity’s next round of heart screenings open today (Monday) at 3pm via the Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation website. The screenings will take place on 27 and 28 September, and are open to anyone aged 14 to 35.

Spaces are limited and tend to fill up quickly.

More information and booking links are available at craigsheartstrongfoundation.co.uk