EATING sausage rolls will help fight disease.

They will play a crucial part in the mayor's charity appeal for a new, high-tech ultrasound system to aid hospital diagnosis and boost health hopes borough-wide.

Golborne-based Councillor John E. Hilton hopes to raise funds for a £40,000 mobile scanner, which will be based in the urology department at Royal Albert Edward Infirmary -- and Leigh-made sausage rolls can help him achieve that goal.

Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Trust has pledged to meet pound for pound money raised by the appeal, and the Leigh bakers, Waterfields, will donate 1p to the mayor's charity for every sausage roll it sells.

The mobile scanner and probe will be used in a wide range of ways to detect a variety of abdominal, gynaecological and prostate diseases.

It speeds up both the diagnosis process and any necessary treatment which follows, giving patients a greater peace of mind.

Coun Hilton said: "I wanted to find something which will potentially benefit all residents of our borough, young and old, male and female alike.

"The mayoress and I have had cause to be thankful for the dedicated care of the health service in recent years, and I now have the chance, with the help of my fellow citizens, to put something back for future generations."

Coinciding with male cancer awareness month, the mayor's appeal will highlight the lack of funds currently being allocated to the research of prostate cancer.

Coun Hilton added: "This equipment is at the cutting edge of medical technology and there is no doubt it will help save lives by making the diagnosis of certain forms of cancer more accurate and speedy."

More than 15,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year, making it the third most common cancer in men.

But the fact remains that awareness of the disease is still poor. FUND-RAISERS: The mayor and mayoress will be leading the appeal for the mobile scanner