A PICTURE perfect fundraiser has today put £500 towards The Evening Star's bid to buy a state-of-the-art ultrasound machine for Ipswich Hospital.

A PICTURE perfect fundraiser has today put £500 towards The Evening Star's bid to buy a state-of-the-art ultrasound machine for Ipswich Hospital.

Ipswich's John Russell Gallery auctioned off a watercolour by Suffolk artist Michael Coulter in a boost to the Star's Lifesaver appeal.

The painting was created as the sleeve artwork for The Evening Star and BBC Radio Suffolk's charity CD Cool Yule which was launched at Christmas.

It depicts the radio station's headquarters and surrounding buildings in Norwich Road.

Tony Coe, who owns the gallery at Wherry Lane, said: “I've worked with Michael Coulter for the last 25 years and there's an excitement around his art. The CD artwork was brilliant. He has the ability to take a subject and make it into his own.”

Stephen Foster, radio presenter and Star columnist, said: “I'd seen Michael's work at the gallery and bought several of his charity cards and thought it would be great if he could do a scene for the CD.

“As most of the music on the CD was recorded at the station headquarters, we got a nice Christmas scene of the building.”

Lifesaver is a bid to raise £22,000 for a cardiac ultrasound machine for Ipswich Hospital's accident and emergency department.

The machine helps doctors diagnose acute cardiac conditions, including heart failure, and is expected to help around 1,000 people every year.

Currently, the hospital relies on older technology such as x-rays. It has other ultrasound machines in the radiology department but often A&E patients need a scan immediately and the new machine will be on hand 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

The state-of-the-art machine can also do other ultrasound scans besides those for the heart.

The artwork was sold for £1,000 and the other £500 will go towards Children in Need.

It was bought by Ipswich businessman Colin Thomas, accompanied by his wife Sara and their son Joshua.

To support Lifesaver, send a cheque made out to Lifesaver: Evening Star Appeal, to 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 1AN. You can also donate online.