YORK Lions Club members have stepped in to help to boost the fundraising total to buy heart monitors in memory of Jamie Bucknell.

Members of the club have stumped up £625, which pays for one of the 12 monitors the Evening Press Jamie's Have a Heart Appeal is trying to buy for York District Hospital.

The appeal was set up last week in memory of the 14-year-old Huntington School pupil who collapsed and died in school on November 12. His death has caused a public outpouring of emotion and his family are fully supporting our £7,500 appeal which is already reaching into the thousands.

The donated money came from a Lions street collection last week in York city centre.

Jim Rayne, from the York Lions, said: "This is a wonderful way for us to do some fundraising one week and the next week put it straight back into the community.

"Jamie was obviously quite an inspirational lad for a 14-year-old. He has certainly inspired us. This is our Year of the Youth and we are thrilled to be able to donate something in memory of Jamie and for the benefit of everybody."

The £7,500 will pay for 12 portable monitors which will replace six fifteen-year-old monitors the cardio-respiratory unit currently has. They can be given to patients who are suffering with heart abnormalities and taken home to record information for diagnosis.

If you are organising any fundraising activities contact Emma Harrison, health reporter, or Richard Edwards in the Evening Press newsroom on 01904 653051. Or e-mail to emma.harrison@ycp.co.uk or richard.edwards@ycp.co.uk.

Donations should be sent to either reporter and it will be paid into a special bank account set up for the appeal. Cheques should be made out to "Jamie's Have a Heart Appeal".

Updated: 09:14 Tuesday, December 04, 2001