A FISTFUL of dollars - well, pounds - is just what the doctored ordered!A whopping £2,000 has been thrown into the pot for the Evening Star's Save A Life appeal as British Gas take the season of goodwill fully to heart.

By Jessica Nicholls

A FISTFUL of dollars - well, pounds - is just what the doctored ordered!

A whopping £2,000 has been thrown into the pot for the Evening Star's Save A Life appeal as British Gas take the season of goodwill fully to heart.

The generous donation will go a long way to providing vital new communications equipment for the Suffolk Accident Rescue Service.

That along with a pledge of £3,000 from the Rudolph Tour organised by the Ipswich Round Table takes the amount up to £9,000 – adding a real bit of sparkle into Christmas.

There are 56 volunteer doctors in the county, who go out in all weathers at all times of day in their own time to save the lives of people who need them.

Andrew Baxendine, regional manager for British Gas said: "We would like to play our part in putting something into back into the community.

"We want to help those worthwhile doctors and put a little sparkle into Christmas and wish everyone a very happy Christmas."

The Evening Star has chosen SARS for a second time as the beneficiary of its annual appeal.

In just a few weeks we have managed to almost half of the target money with the help of readers and business around the county and plenty more has already been pledged.

Donations so far come from, Spedeworth at Foxhall Stadium who donated £2,000, British Gas has donated £2,000 and the Ipswich and Norwich Co-operative Society has given £1,000.

And a big bonus has come from the Rudolph Tour around the town organised by Ipswich Round Table who have pledged £3,000 to the appeal.

Readers have dug deep to give whatever they can afford and have given more than £600 to the appeal.

The Evening Star Christmas Carol Service raised another £500 for the appeal.

There is more money to come from Co-op stores as customers can also quote the community dividend number 977, set up specially to support the Evening Star's Christmas Appeals.

When a customer pays for their goods and quotes the dividend number, a percentage of that money will go to the SARS, Save a Life appeal.

This year we are trying to raise £20,000 to buy crucial communications equipment for the doctors to help them get to the scene of accidents more quickly – as just a few seconds could mean the difference between life or death.

The money will also buy tracker systems so ambulance controllers can pinpoint exactly where the doctors are at any time to make sure the person closest can be sent to the accident.

Better radio equipment will mean they can have constant contact with the controllers, even when a mobile phone goes out of range.

Sometimes an ambulance may not be needed, so a SARS doctor can let the controller know and paramedics can be sent elsewhere.

The SARS doctor can also be in contact with doctors in the Accident and Emergency Department of the hospital to let them know exactly what injuries to prepare for.

These new communications can buy vital time for badly injured people, some on the brink of death.

* To donate money to SARS Save a Life appeal, send cheques to Geraldine Thompson, Editors Secretary, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN.

Anyone holding events to raise money for the appeal should call the Evening Star newsdesk on 01473 324788 or email on StarNews@eveningstar.co.uk.