A campaign to raise funds to buy a new hoist that will safely transfer patients in and out of the hydrotherapy pool at Holy Cross Hospital has got off to a good start.

Within days of launching the £30,000 fundraising target, the Friends of Holy Cross Hospital received a cheque for £4,750.

The donation was made by Matt Dellar and is the proceeds from the Boxing Day run at Hindhead.

Christopher Hinton, interim chief executive at Holy Cross Hospital, said: “The hydrotherapy pool provides therapeutic benefits to inpatients and outpatients.

“The pool hoist is essential for enabling patients with mobility issues to access the pool and so it is vital that it is maintained to the highest standard.

“Unfortunately, we are finding it more and more difficult to source spare parts for the existing hoist which is why we have had to take the decision to replace it.”