SOUTHEND Hospital has been given vital equipment thanks to a grateful fundraiser.

Simon Dempsey has givenRochford Ward ten nebulisers, worthmore than £900, and a cheque for £700.

The ward, which contains the hospital’s respiratory unit, will use the cash to buy three oxygen analyser machines.

The equipment will help those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Mr Dempsey, 38, from Southend, had a personal reason for getting involved, fulfilling the wish of his mum Irene Dempsey who dies late last year after being a patient on the ward.

He said: “I lost my mum to lung cancer. She was always a big fundraiser for others and planned to raise money after getting out of hospital for some new nebulisers, as there was a shortage when she was on the ward. Unfortunately she didn’t get to see her wish fulfilled, so it was a natural thing for me to do.”

Mr Dempsey runs a full-time martial arts school, Southend Combat Academy, in Grainger Road, and had no trouble enlisting the help of children from his Little Spartans mixed martial arts class, who organised a sponsored run.

The youngsters, including Mr Dempsey’s own three children, completed three laps of a 3.2 mile circuit, including sprints up the cliff steps, and raised nearly £2,000 from friends and family.

Lisa Ward, lead respiratory nurse at the hospital, said: “These children are an inspiration and wanted to make a difference, and they really have.”