PETER Liptrott, chairman of the Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust, says: "Heart disease is one of the biggest health problems in the UK and here in Bolton there are many families who have been touched by it.

"Local people who have a heart attack are cared for in the Coronary Care Unit at the Royal Bolton Hospital, which saves hundreds of lives every year.

"The unit was originally paid for with cash raised by the public in an appeal in the 1960s, but while the quality of nursing and medical care has never diminished, the unit is cramped and dark by today's standards.

"More importantly, the hospital is also caring for an increasing number of patients with heart disease and the unit is simply not big enough.

"I believe Bolton deserves a bigger and better coronary care unit. However, we don't have enough funding to be able to build one for several years and Bolton needs its unit now.

"So we have taken the decision, as have many other hospitals around the country, to launch an appeal to raise the £1m needed to build and equip a new unit as quickly as possible.

"The Trust will contribute as much as it can and will continue to pursue further funding from within the NHS.

"Now, I join with Brett Warburton, Appeal Chairman, and Steve Hughes, Editor of the Bolton Evening News, in asking you, readers of the BEN, to help us by making this your charity of the year and doing what you can to support this worthwhile cause."

Appeal chairman, Brett Warburton, from Bolton's well-known family of bread makers, will follow in his uncle's footsteps.

It was thanks to Tom Warburton's mammoth fund-raising efforts in 1969 which resulted in the four-bed Coronary Care Unit opening.

Brett Warburton, managing director of Warburton's, said: "Family has been at the heart of our business for over 125 years.

"That is why when my uncle Tom Warburton asked me to lead the Coronary Care Appeal 2002 I did not hesitate. When you value family life there is nothing more important than preserving it.

"This new unit will do this for many Bolton families. Please back the appeal as generously as you can."

Tom Warburton, appeal chairman from 1969 to 2001, said: "The time has come to build a larger, ten-bed unit with the latest equipment. It is unlikely that sufficient funding will be available from central funds for a few years, so again we are appealing for your help."

Brett added: "It is my pleasure to carry on the family tradition. Bolton has a proud history of supporting local causes and I believe we can count again on companies, groups and individuals to help us to provide a top quality unit for modern day needs."