Volunteers at St John Ambulance's Lowestoft unit are celebrating receiving £4,000 of new equipment.

The items, which will enable them to continue their work at events and in the community, were secured after shoppers at the Tesco superstore in north Lowestoft placed the charity in top position through the 'Bags of Help' token scheme.

The equipment that the volunteers have been able to purchase includes a defibrillator with extra ECG capabilities for use by first aiders and health care professionals, a training defibrillator, four tympanic thermometers, a casualty simulation kit - allowing realistic injuries to be created on 'patients' during training exercises - and a branded gazebo for use at events.

Andrew Rivett, district fundraising lead, said: "It's great news that we have received this valuable equipment from Tesco for a second year running thanks to the retailer's 'Bags of Help' scheme.

"We're looking forward to making use of the new kit and are extremely grateful to Tesco and all the customers who chose us while doing their shopping."

Tesco 'Bags of Help' is a nationwide scheme that awards cash from the Tesco carrier bag charge to projects that benefit their community, with the charity Groundwork administering the Bags of Help scheme.

Chloe Robison-Smith, community project officer at Groundwork East, said: "It's wonderful to see so many projects benefitting from the scheme, particularly ones like this that will save lives within the local community.

"Congratulations to St John Ambulance on their grant!"