A LEIGH primary school is now a safer place following Sainsbury's link-up with the Hand on Heart charity.

Staff, parents and pupils at Newton Westpark school were aware of the potential dangers relating to heart conditions in the young.

Nine-year-old pupil Adam Packham suffers from Wolfe-Parkinson-White syndrome, a condition in which heart ventricles become depolarized too early, which leads to their partial premature contraction.

Adam's father Colin is a price controller at Sainsbury's Leigh branch and encouraged the supermarket to support the school through the Hand on Heart charity, the school's chosen beneficiary for 2013.

Adam, the youngest of Leigh couple Colin and Claire Packham's three sons, was diagnosed with the condition at the age of four.

"He has had the condition since birth," explained Colin, aged 42.

"His condition could have gone unnoticed because it is rare to find it in a child. Adam complained of his heart 'feeling funny' and a heart specialist luckily diagnosed the problem.

"It means his heart could race at 200 beats a minute, but it could suddenly stop."

Newton West Park head Vivien Birchall said: “We feel very privileged to receive a defibrillator. We’re very thankful to Sainsbury’s Leigh for nominating us for this wonderful gift.”

Charity co-ordinator and store manager Julia Blackett said: “I am delighted that Sainsbury’s Leigh has been able to support another school. Store colleagues voted for Newton West Park.”

Since Hand on Heart began as a campaign in 2010, the charity has provided over 150 fully and partially funded defibrillator packages to schools and aims to make every school in the UK Heart Safe.

A charity spokesman said the only effective treatment for a victim of cardiac arrest is CPR and the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) which must be administered within three to five minutes following an arrest. UK average ambulance response time is now eight minutes which is why it is crucial for schools to have the equipment necessary to save lives.