A HOSPITAL friends group has bought heart monitors for use in a rural community.

The lifesaving devices, which are worn by patients over a period of time to check the performance of their heart, were purchased for Barnard Castle Doctors' Surgery by the friends of the town's Richardson Hospital.

Friends chairman Marie Yarker said the idea of buying the monitors came following a TV programme which highlighted the length of time patients in some areas had to wait for one.

“We felt that shouldn’t be the case in Teesdale,” she said.

“The friends felt it was an excellent way to help the community and make a real difference.”

Mrs Yarker said the friends had also bought examination couches and blood pressure monitors for the surgery.

The friends group started up as an independent charity in 1981 and continues to support healthcare in Teesdale, working in partnership with Community Ventures Ltd (Facilities Management) and County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust.

All friends’ funds are raised by the local community and spent in the local area and all the members are volunteers.

Anyone interested in helping the friends can contact Iris Hillery, by emailing iris@ajalon.co.uk, or through the Richardson Hospital, in Victoria Road, Barnard Castle.