MOSQUES have raised thousands of pound to help a hospital trust buy new blood pressure machines.

Members from Masjid Anwar, Masjid Hidaya and Masjid Irfan in Blackburn have donated £6,352 to East Lancashire Hospitals Trust for the machines.

The gift was in response to an appeal led by Imam, Fazal Hassan, on behalf of the trust's chaplaincy service.

Christine Hughes, communications director at the trust said: "We are extremely grateful to the members of the three mosques for their generous donation to the trust.

"We are very proud and delighted to continue working with the mosques and community organisations to help improve the health of the community across Blackburn with Darwen and East Lancashire."

Imam Fazal Hassan, the Muslim chaplain and religious advisor at the trust, who has been leading some of the community engagement and mosque collaboration initiative said: "It is absolutely brilliant that mosques and community organisations are coming together to support their local hospitals; strengthening community relations but also enabling the trust to continue to strive to be a world class health care service provider".