A major campaign to install life-saving equipment at "strategic" sites in Edinburgh has been launched.

The St John and the City project aims to have 20 defibrillators in place across the city in the next year.

Lord provost Donald Wilson joined representatives from St John Scotland to launch the initiative on Wednesday.

The charity's local committee will link up with three groups of participants, "donors, hosts, and guardians", to support the project.

Groups and individuals are invited to fund the "heart-start" machines by applying online on St John's newly launched website.

The life-saving machines will then be placed at key "host" sites in areas frequented by large numbers of people.

They will be maintained by volunteers who will monitor the defibrillators and make sure they are in working order.

Once in place, each machine will be mapped out on a register shared with the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Mr Wilson paid tribute to the efforts of the family of 13-year-old Jamie Skinner, who died of a cardiac arrest while playing football at Saughton in December 2013.

His relatives set up the Jamie Skinner Foundation to raise awareness of defibrillators and campaign for more businesses to install them.

Mr Wilson, who has been made an officer of St John, said: "By making it easy for businesses and people who want to help, this ground-breaking initiative will increase the provision of defibrillators in Edinburgh and install the machines in key sites like community centres, churches, tram and train stops.

"Not only will St John Scotland increase the number of these incredible devices in Edinburgh but they will make sure the machines are maintained.

"Their volunteers will raise awareness of how simple they are to use so that eventually, nobody in Edinburgh should need to think twice before using one in an emergency."

Major General Mark J Strudwick, prior of St John Scotland, said: "We look forward to garnering support from the local community in Edinburgh to turn this initiative into reality."

The full campaign was launched after a pilot last year which involved four defibrillators being installed at Waverley Station.