IT’S a giant step forward in safeguarding thousands of children’s lives in Hampshire.

Almost a year ago the Daily Echo launched its Save a Life in Schools campaign to urge every school in the region to obtain a lifesaving defibrillator.

The campaign was prompted after Mountbatten School pupil Sam Mangoro suffered a heart attack during a PE lesson, with quick-thinking staff using one of the school’s defibrillators to jump-start his heart long enough for paramedics to arrive.

Now, one year on, we can reveal that more than half the schools that did not have the vital equipment on site have since installed them.

In total 16 more schools have defibrillators, including five of the eight Southampton schools that were without one at this point last year.

And some have cited the Echo’s campaign as their reason to purchase the equipment.

This is marvellous news and shows how communities can pull together for the common good.

We cannot say when the defibrillators may be needed. We hope of course they never will. But the peace of mind provided by having just such equipment to hand is precious enough.

Now we hope to persuade even more companies to join our scheme to back their schools by helping to buy a defibrillator.