TWENTY-eight years and £3.3m later, they are finally calling it a day.

A charity that was initially set up to raise £150,000 to save a doomed Hampshire community hospital has collected its last penny and closed its books for good.

The Lymington and District Hospital Appeal was established in 1980 by a group of residents determined not to see their local hospital reach a state of disrepair and close down.

Little did they realise at the time that their plight would be so well supported that they would continue successfully fundraising for the next 28 years, supporting the setting up of a whole new hospital in the town.

Walter Symons, who has been director of the appeal for the full 28 years, said: "We initially set up to raise enough money to replace the old casualty and pathology units that were in wartime buildings that were falling down and had been condemned.

"We needed £150,000 and raised the money without any bother in 168 days. As soon as local people knew their hospital was in danger, offers of help and money flooded in. We were getting 70 to 80 cheques every day."

The appeal funded a new casualty department, then a new X-ray department, then upgraded the theatre suite.

Now that the new Lymington New Forest Hospital has opened on the Ampress trading estate, the charity has decided to call it a day - marking this by buying and handing over a £400,000 CT scanner to the hospital.

Walter, 89 and a former mayor of Lymington, explained: "I will be 90 in a couple of months and feel enough is enough, we have well exceeded our target! It's emotional, but it's a nice emotion.

"We have ensured that hospital services are here to stay in Lymington and local people are going to have the best treatment without dashing to Southampton or Bournemouth."

June Plank, who has been secretary of the appeal ever since it started, said: "It is strange that this is the end of it all, after so many years, but I think we have done a good job and have benefited the local community extremely well.

"I got involved because I believed passionately in the old hospital and, like many other people, didn't want to see it disappear."

After donating the scanner, the appeal still has £27,000 left over, which will be handed to the hospital to be spent on more equipment.