Lifesaver supported by station staff

STAFF at an Ipswich petrol station have today shown their fundraising strength - by pledging to help a second Evening Star appeal.

The station at Warren Heath Sainsbury's will be collecting for our Lifesaver Appeal to buy a cardiac ultrasound machine for Ipswich Hospital.

Earlier this month staff handed over more than £1,000 to the Somebody's Daughter campaign, set up in the wake of the red light killings to help vulnerable young people in the town.

Now, they have generously offered to help the Lifesaver appeal as well.

Caroline Stafford, petrol station manager, said: “We are really interested in supporting local charities, by doing whatever we can to help.

“We thought this appeal was such a brilliant one we thought we would have another go at collecting - and hopefully repeat the success of our last collection.”

Lifesaver aims to raise £22,000 for a state-of-the-art cardiac ultrasound machine for Ipswich Hospital's accident and emergency department.

The machine quickly helps doctors diagnose acute cardiac conditions, including heart failure, and can also do other ultrasound scans besides those for the heart.

Medical experts at the hospital say it is likely to help around 1,000 people in the first year alone.

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.

Weblinks:

www.eveningstar.co.uk/lifesaver

www.eveningstar.co.uk/daughter

n 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.

Shoppers at East of England Co-operative Society stores can help by using the special dividend number 977.

Donations to the Somebody's Daughter memorial fund can also be made online.