A FISHING club has reeled in thousands of pounds of medical equipment for Basildon Hospital.

Members of the Basildon and District Angling Society raised £3,300 to buy two automatic heart and blood monitor machines for the hospital’s Puffin Ward.

Every year, the club stages charity fishing matches to raise cash for the children’s ward in memory of one its junior members, Neil Peck, who died in 1993, aged 11 from a lung disease.

David Peck, Neil’s father and a member of the angling club, said: “The Puffin Ward has been our adopted good cause since 1998 and we’ve managed to buy almost £20,000 of specialist equipment for it through charity events.

“We received a huge boost this year, when Neil’s cousin, Kathy Attred, celebrated her 50th birthday on July 7, which was also Neil’s birthday.

“Kathy had a party and asked guests not to buy her any presents but to donate money towards the hospital fund instead.

“Her lovely gesture raised an incredible £1,375 which was added to the grand total to buy the monitor machines.”