THOUSANDS of people, young and old, have supported the campaign to build Bolton's new Coronary Care unit, which has been funded entirely from voluntary contributions.

So far the money raised stands at £1.1 million -- just £200,000 short of the target.

Along with local people, the Bolton Evening News, Bolton Wanderers and former Mayor Cllr John Walsh have all adopted the campaign.

Fund raising has ranged from pensioners collecting spare change in whisky bottles, to sponsored climbs up Mount Kilimanjaro.

The unit will care for 10 patients at a time, each having beds that are electronically-controlled and with pressure-relieving mattresses to prevent bedsores. There will always be one member of staff for every two patients. Each of the 10 beds will cost £100,000 a year to maintain and run.

In the old unit, the staff room was used as a relatives room. In the new one, relatives have their own room with a bed, kitchen facilities and an en-suite bathroom. The matron and ward sister each have an office and there is a kitchen in the staff room.

Fund raising organiser Jenny Walsh said: "One person who came in said something simple that summed up the whole unit: 'Money well spent'. There's nothing more to say."