A STROKE unit is set for a £10,000 boost thanks to a former millionaire businessman who was a patient.

The money was raised by a book of photographs of old Blackburn has enjoyed "phenomenal" sales and beaten a cash target set by fund-raisers.

Demand was so high a second print run was ordered taking its proceeds well past the £10,000 target organisers set themselves.

The money will be used to buy equipment to help treat stroke patients at Queen's Park Hospital, Blackburn.

The cost of producing the book, 1963 Blackburn - A proud town, was covered by millionaire businessman Peter Street, of Langho, Blackburn, who was treated at the hospital after he suffered a stroke last year.

The original aim was to sell 2,000 copies of the book to raise £10,000. It proved so popular the first printing run sold out within weeks and the equipment to lift patients in their hospital beds and move them round the ward was ordered. The equipment is expected to be handed over to hospital staff within the next fortnight.

A further 1,000 books were printed and they are almost sold out. A decision has yet to be made on what the extra cash raised will be spent on.

"The reaction to the book has been quite phenomenal," said Mr Street. "It's taken us all by surprise.

"I've never experienced anything quite like it and it's still going on. People are still buying copies.

"The equipment we originally planned to buy with the £10,000 has been ordered and the remaining balance will be used to buy other pieces of equipment that's needed." Mr Street covered the cost of producing the book, which sells at £5, so that all the purchase price went to help the stroke unit. The books were sold in and around Blackburn and were sent to relatives and friends across the world, including Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

"We've only used half the pictures we had and we thought we might do another issue with those previously unseen pictures," said Mr Street.

The photographs were taken by amateur photographer John Eddleston just before the demolition of large parts of Blackburn town centre ahead of a major redevelopment. Mr Eddleston, who now lives in a retirement home in Southport, gave his collection to a young relative, Simon Allen, who in turn passed them to his father Ernest who recently spent some time in hospital in Blackburn.

He met nursing orderly Dino Christodoulos who mentioned he wanted to give slide shows of "old Blackburn" to patients and it was a chance meeting between him and Mr Street which led to the book.