The Telegraph & Argus today launches a final bid to hit the magic million in the Bradford Millennium Scanner Appeal.

The appeal today broke the £800,000 barrier, leaving only £200,000 to raise to secure the potentially life-saving scanner technology for thousands of patients each year in Bradford.

Fundraisers are looking to get to the £1million target by Christmas and are urging people across the district to make one last effort to raise the remaining cash in a special Final Countdown appeal.

Hospital chiefs want to get the Magnetic Resonance Imaging scanner up and running by April in what would be the biggest step forward ever in diagnostic technology in the city - but cannot order the machine and begin building work at Bradford Royal Infirmary until the cash has been raised.

Every month without the hi-tech machine means nearly 200 patients are missing out on vital help to diagnose illness including cancer, heart disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and joint and soft tissue damage, including sports injuries.

One of the donations which helped break the £800,000 barrier was made by RAF aircraft technician Richard Rawnsley, of Bradford, whose life was saved by a MRI scan prompting him to back the appeal in a sponsored walk across the North of England. His example has been matched by nearly 3,500 separate gifts from individuals and organisations in a fantastic response to the appeal, launched only 16 months ago.

Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust chairman Linda Pollard praised everyone who had helped with the appeal, in particular Sovereign Health Care, which has given more than £275,000, the T&A and Bradford hospital staff.

She urged one last effort to get the final £200,000.

"We really do want to get this vital equipment working as soon as possible but before we can press ahead we need everyone's help to give Bradford the best Christmas present it could hope for,'' she added.

Consultant radiologist Dr Roger Lowe said the MRI scanner was vital to enable the hospital to deliver top-class patient care to local people.

"Currently we can only scan about 300 patients a year and they have to go to Leeds Infirmary or Halifax.

"Some of our patients are too ill to be moved and they may have to undergo a series of investigative tests when one single MRI might have shown the root of the problem in a matter of minutes.

"With our own scanner, here in Bradford, we could be scanning over 2,500 patients each year."

Appeal manager Sally-Anne Bennett said: "If we could generate just 50p from each resident of Bradford, we would reach our target easily."

Anyone who would like to help the Final Countdown can call the scanner appeal office on (01274) 364307.

T&A Opinion

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