Community groups across Scotland are being encouraged to apply for a free defibrillator.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has relaunched its Community Defibrillator Funding Programme with more than 320 defibrillator packages available for communities in need.

Udston in Hamilton and Govanhill in Glasgow have been identified as areas of high priority due to their limited access to these lifesaving devices.

In Udston the average distance to a 24/7 public access defibrillator is nearly a mile or 17 minutes and 10 seconds on foot.

Similarly, in Govanhill, the average distance to a defibrillator is 320m, or 3 minutes and 57 seconds away on foot.

Neither of these areas have defibrillators registered on The Circuit, the national network which guides the ambulance service to the nearest available device.

The BHF's initiative comes in response to the fact that there are around 3,200 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests each year in Scotland, but less than one in ten people survive.

Every minute without CPR and defibrillation can reduce the chance of survival by up to 10 per cent.

The BHF aims to bridge the gap in access to defibrillators and improve survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrests.

Over the past decade, the BHF has helped fund 3,642 defibrillators across the UK, with 320 of these located in Scotland.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has relaunched its Community Defibrillator Funding Programme (Image: Supplied) David McColgan, head of the British Heart Foundation Scotland, said: "When someone has a cardiac arrest, every second counts – early access to a defibrillator is vital to give someone the best chance of survival.

"Although we have made progress, there are still too many communities that lack quick and easy access to a defibrillator.

"With the reopening of this fund, more communities will now have access to a defibrillator that can save lives."

The defibrillator packages, which include a defibrillator, cabinet, and installation costs, will be prioritised for areas with the greatest need, particularly those with limited access to defibrillators.

Communities awarded a defibrillator can order replacement parts free of charge when they expire or are used in a rescue.

Each defibrillator will also be registered on The Circuit, ensuring that ambulance services can guide bystanders to the nearest available device in the event of a cardiac arrest.

The BHF's initiative is part of their long-standing commitment to funding public access defibrillators for communities.

Their Nation of Lifesavers scheme has helped install nearly 3,500 devices across the UK since 2014.

The BHF is particularly eager to receive applications from community groups in areas across the UK that have no defibrillator registered on The Circuit within them.

Communities can apply for their free defibrillator on the BHF website.