A CAMPAIGN to raise £5 million for equipment in Swindon's new NHS hospital will be launched on Monday.

The aim of the Evolution cam-paign is to get cash from the public and businesses to pay for the latest hi-tech equipment at the £148 million Great Western Hospital, which is due to open in November next year.

The Government has allocated £8 million for equipment, but Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust is hoping to boost the coffers by appealing to local people for donations.

Swindon-based companies such as Nationwide and GWR have pledged their support, and £1 million has already been raised towards the target.

Trust spokesman Chris Birdsall said: "Now is the ideal time to replace or upgrade pieces of equipment that are nearing the end of their useful life.

"We do have the equipment to provide an effective service, but we are getting a brand new hospital and it would be great if we could generate this extra money to give the Great Western Hospital the best possible start.

"The Government has given us £8 million, which is more than most Private Finance Initiatives projects get and any more we can raise would just be a bonus."

The shopping list of equipment ranges from specialist cameras for looking into people's eyes, hearing-aid fitting and testing systems, special lamps and new pathology lab freezers, as well as ventilators for the special care baby unit.

The trust is keeping most details of its campaign under wraps, but on Monday it will be unveiling the logo. At the same time a £350,000 cheque will be handed over to the fund from an undisclosed company.

And children from Longleaze School, Wootton Bassett, will be there to colour in a fundraising totaliser.

Swindon's six-storey Great Western Hospital is under construction near junction 15 of the M4.

It will stand in 34-acres of parkland and have parking for 1,100 cars. The design also allows for a helicopter pad and future expansion.

Other buildings on the site will include a crche and an energy centre for the hospital generator, accommodation for nursing staff and a 60-bed intermediate care bed unit.

Although the hospital is costing Carillion £148 million to build, the true cost to the public purse is £321 million.

This is because the hospital trust will be paying back £10.7 million annually for three decades to the developer, plus £4.85 million for services such as catering facilities.