KIND-HEARTED members of Kidderminster Male Choir are singing their way into the history books by buying more than £8,000 of heart-monitoring and blood pressure equipment for three of the largest doctor's surgeries in Wyre Forest.

Publicity officer Paul Brown said he was delighted the choir had brokered a revolutionary deal with the British Heart Foundation, which would enable them to buy three pieces of hi-tech medical equipment with some of the proceeds from their centenary concert.

The agreement will see Northumberland House surgery in Kidderminster receive a 24-hour blood pressure monitor, Stourport Health Centre, an electrocardiogram machine, and Bewdley Medical Centre, medical response equipment.

The practices serve 35,000 patients and Mr Brown said he was thrilled their centenary celebrations would help improve the health of so many Wyre Forest folk.

He explained he had conceived the unique idea while on a St John ambulance course - and believed the choir would be the first in the country to use proceeds from a concert in such a way.

The rest of the profit from the extravaganza at Symphony Hall in Birmingham on Saturday, June 19, will be donated to Wyre Forest MIND and the RAF Benevolent Fund.

"I had the idea that the community had supported us over the years so we should put something back in and we came up with the idea of medical equipment," said Mr Brown.

"A man on the course said 'do you know the British Heart Foundation do a scheme where they will provide defibrillators to surgeries who pay half the cost?'"

He said members of the choir approached the three biggest surgeries in Bewdley, Kidderminster and Stourport, asked what heart-monitoring equipment they were short of and then negotiated with the heart foundation to help fund the items.

The national charity agreed to cover half the costs of the £2,400 ECG machine and £3,500 response equipment. The 24-hour blood pressure monitor, however, which will enable a true reading of patients' blood pressure to be obtained as they go about their daily work, did not fall within its criteria, so its £2,204 cost will be covered by the choir.

l Tickets for the centenary concert, which will be compered by Roy Hudd, can be obtained by calling 01562 751922. Return coach travel is available from Whittles Coaches on 01562 820002.