Thursday February 12th 2026
Whitekirk Village Hall is to get its own life saving defibrillator equipment for local residents
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
A small East Lothian village is to get its own life saving defibrillator installed outside its community hall thanks to a local charity.
Residents in Whitekirk, which has a population of around 100 people, currently face a three kilometre journey to their nearest round the clock equipment in an emergency.
However North Berwick charity Together In Health have now been granted planning permission to install a defibrillator cabinet outside the village hall.
East Lothian Council planners said that while the installation would be in a conservation areas they did not believe it would have a negative impact on its surroundings.
The village hall itself was bought by the community from the Church of Scotland several years ago.
Grant permission for the defibrillator, planners said: “In its proposed position and by virtue of its relatively small size, the proposed defibrillator cabinet would not appear as an alien or incongruous feature on the building.
“It would not be harmful to the character and appearance of the building or harmful to the character and appearance of the Gifford Conservation Area.”
Speaking about the plans for the equipment which is used to help restart the heart with an electric shock during a cardiac arrest, Together In Health said it was time the village had one of its own.
Taking to social media to explain the move, they pointed out the nearest 24/7 defibrillator for residents in the village was 3km away in Tyninghame with one available during daytime opening hours just over a kilometre away at Whitekirk Hill.
They said: “Time for their own now.”
The charity said that it will follow up the planning permission with a CPR/defibrillator awareness session one it has been installed.
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