Charity Poker game at York Hotel

This bunch of mates have formed themselves into a group called Bedfelloes with the intention of raising 75,000 which will be given to the Intensive Trauma Unit at the Conquest Hospital.

They hope to pay for a new bed and the costs of running it for one year, taking care of staffing, equipment and care for patients.

They launched their fundraising effort on Sunday at The York Hotel in London Road with a 12 hour marathon of poker, pool and Singstar.

The idea originated from John Woolgar, of Upper Sea Road, whose wife Hilary was cared for in the ITU when she became dangerously ill and needed three operations.

John said: "She was in the ITU for six weeks and they were just fantastic. I was called in for the second operation and Hilary wasn't given much percentage to live, but the way the people in ITU dealt with her and dealt with me, the effort and care, was phenomenal. In a very difficult situation they were absolutely brilliant. It was not just looking after her, but me as her husband, and relatives that go there too. It was not just looking after the patient but looking after everybody - it was phenomenal.

"I kept thinking what happened there was so good...If I could do something, I wanted to do something."

He discussed raising money with friends and was pleased with the "fantastic response" he received and promises of support.

"It is because they all knew Hilary so well. The attitude was - let's do something specifically for the ITU. It is personal as far as I am concerned, that is why the money is going there.

"I am now caring for my wife all the time but this is something I can do - it's so easy. It is about giving something back - there but for the grace of God go I. If you need to be there it is the last port of call...you either go on and survive, or you don't.

"Intensive care kept my wife alive and made her live."

The event was organised by Barry Wright who said the cause was "touching the hearts of friends and families alike."

He commented: "We came up with a figure of 75,000 to raise and gave outselves a target of Christmas Eve next year. We are going to do it by means of different events to raise money, from darts competitions to skydiving and everything in between. We have got a number of ideas to launch and a number of different individuals and volunteers asking to do stuff already. We have called the charity Bedfelloes and will look for charity status this year as well."