Paediatric Consultant peddles his trade for charity

Date:                1.00pm, 30 October 2003
Venue:              West Suffolk Hospital Front Entrance, Bury St Edmunds

A Consultant Paediatrician at West Suffolk Hospital is to embark on a 270-mile bike ride to raise money for a new state of the art ultrasound scanner for the hospital’s Paediatric Department.

Dr Ian Evans will embark on his marathon four-day bike ride on 30 October from West Suffolk Hospital and will visit eight Special Care Baby Units across East Anglia.  His visits will take him to Ipswich, Great Yarmouth, Norwich, Kings Lynn, Peterborough, Huntingdon, Cambridge and then back to Bury St Edmunds.

Dr Evans will be sent on his way by the team from the Special Care Baby Unit and Callum Rayner, one of the first babies to use the refurbished specialist unit in West Suffolk Hospital.  Callum was born two and a half months premature and needed over 20 ultrasound scans to guide his treatment during May 2003.  Now five months on, he is well on the way to recovery!

Dr Evans is aware that the bike ride will not meet all of the cost of the scanner (£16,000), but it is the first in a long line of charitable activities designed to raise the funds.

“The new ultrasound scanner will make a big difference to the department.  At present we use an older scanner from the Radiology Department which is already in constant use so a dedicated scanner will save time and will provide us with state of the art pictures,” said Dr Evans.

“This bike ride is only the first of a series of charity events staff on the unit are planning, however, it will probably be the longest and the most gruelling. It should be an interesting but enjoyable few days despite the cold November days.”

If members of the public would like to sponsor Dr Evans or donate to the campaign, they can contact the Special Care Baby Unit or email Dr Evans on .

(24 October 2003)