We've done it!

The Eye Scan Appeal supported by This Is Essex partner paper the Gazette has reached its £15,000 target to buy a vital piece of equipment for Essex County Hospital.

Within just two months of launching its appeal the Colchester League of Hospital and Community Friends has achieved its goal.

Generous Gazette readers have played a vital part, donating thousands of pounds when we adopted the cause as an official appeal.

The £500 raised by our sponsored abseil means it has now reached its goal and beyond.

Money over the £15,000 mark will be used to buy extra equipment for the eye scanner.

Appeal chairman Tony Webb said the league had been overwhelmed with the support from the Gazette.

He said: "We are all amazed at the speed with which the money has come. This is the fastest we have reached the target for any of our appeals - we only launched it on March 25."

Members and supporters of the league have also raised thousands of pounds, holding coffee mornings, raffles and other appeal-boosting events.

One welcome onlooker at Saturday's abseil was Colchester borough councillor Terry Sutton, who handed over a £100 cheque for the appeal to Sharon Asplin, a reporter with sister paper the Essex County Standard.

The ultra sound eye scanner will now arrive at the ophthalmology department of Colchester's Essex County Hospital within weeks.

Patients who live in north east Essex will no longer have to travel to Moorfields Hospital in London for a scan.

The state-of-the-art machine can detect serious illnesses such as tumours and study the detached retinas of people who have been involved in accidents. Jumbo joy for our brave team

Itwas scary, it was nerve-wracking, but it was worth it.

That was the verdict of the eight Essex County Newspaper staff who abseiled down Colchester landmark Jumbo in aid of the Eye Scan Appeal.

Most had never abseiled before, and certainly none from almost the top of a 131ft building.

Any fears of heights and last minute panics were dealt with calmly by the three expert Colchester Garrison staff.

Gazette newsroom reporters Amanda Patterson, Sarah Oxley, Mark Urwin, Niki Eves and Jim Draisey, news editor Sally Teatheredge, Essex County Standard reporter Sharon Asplin and receptionist Jacky Gower completed the brave task they set themselves.

Sarah said: "It was scary. I certainly won't be doing that again. It was climbing over the metal barrier at the top of Jumbo and hanging over it which shook me up. I was shaking for 15 minutes afterwards."

Colleagues, friends, family and bemused passers-by cheered them on as they gracefully lowered themselves down past the feet of the impressive Victorian watertower to terra firma.

The abseil would not have been possible without the support of architects Simon Plater Associates and Jumbo owners Victory Gate Properties and the expertise, help and encouragement from the Army.

Capt White is Officer in Command of 3 Cadet Training Team based at Goojerat Barracks, and was joined at Jumbo by sergeants Tam Evans and Kris Evatt.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.