HEART patients and their relatives are joining the fight for the best possible care at Ipswich Hospital today.

HEART patients and their relatives are joining the fight for the best possible care at Ipswich Hospital today.

The concerned patients, who know first hand the importance of having expert care available nearby, have all backed The Evening Star's 'Have a Heart' appeal.

So far the campaign to help Ipswich Hospital develop more specialist heart facilities, and ultimately a high-tech heart attack centre like the ones in Norfolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex, has raised more than �7,800.

Ted Douglas, 85, of Chelsworth Avenue in Ipswich, suffered an emergency heart attack in September 2007 and was treated at Ipswich Hospital.

He said: “Ipswich Hospital needs to have the best facilities. People don't understand why they can't be treated at Ipswich where they want to be and family can visit.

“I hope this will help get the best treatment at Ipswich.”

Karate-fan Kelvin Abbott, 58, of Sprites Lane in Ipswich, suffered a heart attack in December 2007 at Maidenhall Sports Centre and was saved by paramedics.

He said: “I want to see better facilities at Ipswich so I wouldn't have to go to Norwich. Currently at Ipswich the services seem to be dwindling away so hopefully this will stop that.”

Dot Bultitude, 78, of Clover Close, Ipswich, who has had two stents, a double bypass operation and angina, added: “I'm grateful for everything Ipswich Hospital has done for me and want to help them.

“We need to have the service at Ipswich Hospital.”

Meanwhile Berry Lewis, 78, of Ascot Drive in Ipswich, whose late husband died from a heart attack, said: “I'm worried about the roads. If care is provided locally loved ones can be there straight away, so I want to see the care at Ipswich.”

To support the 'Have a Heart' appeal send cheques made payable to Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust to Have a Heart, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich IP4 1AN, or donate money in person at the Star's Ipswich offices.

If you want to start fundraising to help us raise as much money as possible for the hospital, let us know about your event by calling The Evening Star news desk on 01473 324788 or e-mail starnews@eveningstar.co.uk.

Have a Heart appeal

The Evening Star's 'Have a Heart' appeal is raising money to help fund a specialist heart attack centre at Ipswich Hospital

Three high-tech primary angioplasty (PPCI) centres have been set up at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, Papworth in Cambridge and Basildon in Essex, but not in Suffolk

From September 1 serious heart attack patients in Suffolk will be sent to these centres, facing much longer journeys for care than people living nearby, and therefore having less chance of survival

Health bosses say Ipswich Hospital does not currently have the infrastructure or staff to provide the service

The Evening Star has been campaigning for a primary angioplasty centre to be set up in Ipswich so residents have the best level of care possible and don't face long journeys for treatment

After successfully changing healthcare policy with our campaign we have now launched the 'Have a Heart' appeal which is raising money to help set up a catheter laboratory at Heath Road

The Star is asking for just one pound from every person who may need care at Ipswich Hospital's cardiac department in the future - which would collect around �350,000

The lab will originally be used to treat non-urgent heart operations but could eventually be expanded into a primary angioplasty centre