John says thanks - a few thousand times

MIRACLE man John Howe has raised funds for the people who saved his life.Mr Howe 'died' five times after suffering a heart attack at Foxhall Stadium in 1997.

MIRACLE man John Howe has raised funds for the people who saved his life.

Mr Howe 'died' five times after suffering a heart attack at Foxhall Stadium in 1997.

St John's Ambulance volunteers performed heroics to keep him alive while waiting for the ambulance to reach the stadium.

But his ordeal was not yet over. Rushed to hospital, he was put on a life support machine and the decision was made to switch it off.

Miraculously, Mr Howe, of Tuddenham Lane, Rushmere, woke up and now realises he owes his life to the St John's Ambulance stadium workers.

He said: "St John's Ambulance kept me alive, so I decided to do something for them.

"I know three girls who do an awful lot for charity, so I asked them and they suggested a dinner dance.

"We managed to raise between £1,300 and £1,400, but they did all the work really."

Maureen Boreham, Janet Dunnett and Sally Pope have raised more than £7,000 with their charity dinner and disco nights.

But Mrs Boreham, of Swansea Road, Maidenhall, admitted all the hard work left plenty of room for enjoyment.

She said: "We love it, it's great fun. It gives you a real buzz to know you're doing something worthwhile and the nights always go down very well.

"The only stipulation we make is that all the money we raise stays in Ipswich. It's good to know that if you ever need anything that you've at least contributed a little bit yourself."