A CHANCE meeting has led to the successful completion of the Rotary Club of Wrington Vale's biggest ever single fundraising project - and resulted in the handing over of a £60,000 heart simulator equipment to the cardiac team at Taunton's Musgrove Park Hospital.

The equipment, Heartworks, trains cardiac clinicians in the interpretation of ultrasound heart scans and gives trainees or researchers a concentration of experience that is not possible from learning on real life patients.

It will be used to train cardiologists and others faster, in greater numbers and in more depth, ultimately saving more lives, and will be used across the whole of the South-West from Cornwall to Gloucester.

When Rotarian Peter Roswell, from Sandford, North Somerset, who has a history of heart problems and whom has previously benefitted from a heart bypass operation, met Professor David MacIver, the lead consultant cardiologist based at Musgrove, at a garden party, Peter was interested to learn that the simulator equipment was keenly needed to train cardiologists in the region, but there was no opportunity to obtain this through NHS budgets.

Inspired to help, Peter shared his thoughts with fellow Rotary members and they set themselves a challenge of raising a massive £60,000 for the equipment, which would benefit the whole of their District 1200, which covers Somerset and parts of Wiltshire and Dorset.

Wrington Vale Rotary Club sent teams of two out to fellow District Rotary Clubs from August 2014 to explain the cardiologists' need for equipment and the quest for funds.

Wrington Vale members kickstarted the fundraising with personal donations and, after raising funds from a musical evening and bucket collections at Sainsbury's Ashton Vale, Bristol, and Wyevale Sanders Nursery, in Brent Knoll, began to receive collections and donations from other Rotary groups.

At a presentation to Taunton Rotary Club Peter Roswell met with fellow Rotarian Peter Renshaw, Chair of The Friends of Musgrove Park Hospital, a body which raises funds for the hospital.

This resulted in an application to The Friends through medical staff and in time, a generous and substantial amount of funding support was received.

Finally, Peter's hard work in talking to a number of Trusts came to fruition with one of them anonymously donating a five figure sum.

It marks the result of the near year-long fundraising when Peter Roswell on behalf of the Rotary Club of Wrington presented the equipment to Professor MacIver, watched by cardiac staff, representatives of Wellington and Bridgwater Rotary Clubs and The Friends of Musgrove Park Hospital and Ian Whittaker, CEO of IML (the developer and manufacturer of Heartworks).

Peter said: "This has been a unique experience and challenge for Wrington Vale Rotary Club and I would like to thank all those concerned for supporting my idea.

"This would not have been possible without the initial backing of the Rotary Club and the hard work and innovation by clubs and individuals to achieve our dream of raising this money.

"Personally I have fulfilled a wish to thank the NHS for the life-saving treatment it has given me over the years by helping to ensure many more people can benefit from the excellent treatments on offer."

Professor MacIver said: "I would like to express my sincerest thanks to Peter for his immense effort and perseverance, the Wrington Vale Rotary Club and the whole of District 1200 who have worked tirelessly for over a year and achieved something really important.

"I would also like to thank the League of Friends of Musgrove Park Hospital for their very generous support of the project and, of course, each person who has contributed. Without each and everyone's individual contribution the fund's target would not have been reached.

"Our hospital is the first in the South West of England to purchase HeartWorks which, I am proud to announce, will be based at Musgrove Park Hospital. It will be available for use by all the hospitals in the South West as well as on national training courses.

"Teaching using HeartWorks will be available to clinicians - doctors, nurses, clinical physiologists and technicians - in all fields including intensive care, high dependency units, emergency departments, wards and acute admissions units."