IT all started right here. A Morecambe couple's successful battle to get the European Commission to back their cause all began two years ago on the front page of the Lancaster and Morecambe Citizen.

Last week we brought you exclusive news as Euro bosses took up the fight started by Audrey Helme and her late husband Norman.

They had been campaigning for 18 months to get chelation treatment, a special form of heart therapy, available on the NHS after being refused it by Morecambe Bay Health Authority.

Now EC chiefs plan to fully investigate the potential benefits of chelation, a treatment that changed Norman's life after he read about it on the front page of the Lancaster Citizen back on March 10, 1994.

Audrey was out of the country when news of the EC investigation broke last week. On her return she told the Citizen: "Norman was very ill. He hadn't worked for 11 years and we were told that an operation would be dangerous.

"As soon as I saw your article I showed it to Norman. He had it by the side of his bed while he thought about it and eventually we rang the Citizen office up.

"You put us in touch with the Arterial Disease Clinic and Norman had his first treatment in April 1994.

"His quality of life improved tremendously. After about eight treatments his eyesight had got better and after about 10 the whole improvement was obvious.

"He went from being housebound to painting the whole house and going off on holidays. The change in Norman was unbelievable. My only regret is that we didn't find out about it years ago."

So what prompted it all back in 1994? The whole crusade started when Audrey read an article about Carnforth man Frank Shackleton. He was also trying to persuade local health bosses to give him chelation treatment.

Eventually Norman, who died last October from a burst blood vessel at the age of 62, paid to have the treatment at a private clinic 60 miles away from his home in Corringham Road in Morecambe. It cost him more than £3,000. The chelation treatment, funded by 25 other NHS authorities across the country, involves pumping minerals and vitamins around the body.

The EC investigation, brought about with the help of Morecambe MP Sir Mark Lennox-Boyd and Euro MP Tony Cunningham, could make it available to heart patients across the UK.

Audrey added: "I am delighted that the EC are taking this on because everyone should know about it. By the time people find out they are already very poorly.

"People living in places under different health authorities are getting this treatment but it should be available to everyone. Norman would be absolutely delighted."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.