MALVERN residents are being urged to take to the water to help buy a vital new scanner for the town's hospital.

Last week, the Malvern Gazette launched its Ease the Pain campaign, backing the appeal by the Friends of Malvern Community Hospital for £60,000 to buy the imaging device for a new pain clinic atthe hospital.

And Malvern Rotary has responded immediately by pledging part of the takings from its Swim4Gold event to the cause.

Now the group is urging swimmers to help raise money by signing up for the event in June.

Swim4Gold is a sponsored team swimming event, with teams keeping 50 per cent of the money they raise and handing the rest over to Rotary.

Each team will swim relaystyle for 15 minutes, and there will be prizes for the teams swimming the most lengths in four categories: junior, youth, adult and senior.

David Street, the club’s sports officer, said: “We’ve held events like this before, and they’ve been great fun. I hope as many teams as possible sign up for it, and I will be contacting local clubs, schools and businesses inviting them to participate.

“Malvern College is donating the use ofits swimming poolfree of charge, and we are very gratefulfor that generous gesture.”

Rotary president Paul Harris said: “It is a pleasure to commit an element of the funds raised at our forthcoming Swim4Gold event, to the Gazette’s Ease the Pain appeal to raise money for the imaging device.

“The more teams enter, the more money we will raise.”

Stewart Messer, chief operating officer of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We are very grateful to Malvern Rotary Club for including us in the list of charities they are supporting with their Swim4Gold event in June and we would encourage as many readers of the Malvern Gazette as possible to take part.”

Sheila Young, of the Friends, said: “We’re delighted and very grateful that Rotary has decided to support the appeal. They have helped us before, donating a substantial amount of money for an ultrasound scanner.”

The C-arm image intensifier is an X-ray device vital for the precise delivery of painkilling injections. Once installed in Malvern, it will mean patients, many of them elderly, will not have to travel to Kidderminster or Evesham for treatment.

To take part in Swim4Gold, contact David Street on 01684 572801 ordandbstreet@gmail.com.