A little boy who died from sepsis could one day go on to save the lives of others now that money from his funeral has been used to provide Penryn with its first town centre defibrillator.

The family of William Mead unveiled the lifesaving equipment in his memory on Monday.

It can be found just before Penryn Museum in Higher Market Street, in a former red telephone box that has now been converted into a kiosk for the defibrillator.

William's mum Melissa, now a campaigner for the UK Sepsis Trust, said: "As a family we hope it never has to be used but are thankful it’s there in those unfortunate circumstances."

She explained that at the time of William's death, in December 2014, the family did not realise initially that he had died of sepsis so at his funeral they asked for donations to the Front Line Emergency Equipment Trust (FLEET) in lieu of flowers.

"We wanted to buy something special in his memory. With the money we purchased a defibrillator," she said.

"It was lovely to see it finally in place. A very big thank you to all who donated to this fund when William died. Your money will one day, hopefully, save someone’s life."

Joining Melissa for the unveiling was her two-year-old son Arthur, who has the middle name William after his brother.

Recalling a touching moment from Monday, Melissa said: "When we opened up the door and let Arthur in he pointed at William's picture and said ‘William, my brother’. It was really comforting and sad, all at once."

Next to the defibrillator is a picture of William and a brief tribute, explaining that it has been donated in his memory by his parents Melissa and Paul.

Falmouth Packet:

Melissa and Arthur look at William's picture next to the defibrillator

Also at the official opening were Penryn's mayor Chaz Wenmoth, Alan Odgers, director of Duchy Defibrillators Ltd and Norman Trebilcock, general manager of FLEET that installed it. It marked the 100th cabinet to be installed by the charity.

The town council has paid for the repainting of the the telephone box - which now also has the word 'defibrillator' marked clearly at the top - and is also covering the annual monitoring fee.

Mr Wenmoth said: "It's a marvellous thing. Hopefully it will not be needed, but it's there if it is now."

He went on to praise the strength of Melissa and her family, saying: "I am amazed by her courage; what she went through, losing her little boy like that, to then put your mind into something like that, when everything must have been upside down.

"To work it and raise the funds to get it done is fantastic."

Instructions next to the monitored public access defibrillator explain how it be used. In an emergency a person must call 999 to be given a code to unlock the defibrillator. The machine will then 'speak', giving step-by-step instructions on what to do.

A former paramedic will be providing a brief training session on how it works, which is open to anyone in the local community to take part in by contacting Melissa via the A Mother Without A Child Facebook page.

It is the only defibrillator in the immediate town centre that has 24-hour access. Previously the closest equipment was at Exchequer Quay or Penryn Academy, with the defibrillator at Penryn Surgery kept inside and only accessible during opening hours.