An NHS Trust chief executive is partaking in an Ipswich Hospital abseil in honour of his late wife.

East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust chief executive Nick Hulme will be abseiling down the side of the Ipswich Hospital maternity ward on Saturday, July 30.

He is taking part in fundraising efforts for a new breast care unit at Ipswich Hospital in memory of his late wife Annette.

A few weeks before Annette died of breast cancer in January 2018, she made her husband promise to raise money for organisations that supported the family throughout her 18-month battle with the disease.

Mr Hulme will be participating in the Extreme Abseil for a second time and said: "It's petrifying for all of two seconds and then it's absolutely exhilarating."

Alongside Mr Hulme, 16-year-old Fred Hart, who fell ill in March and was admitted to hospital for memory loss, will also be completing the challenge.

Fred's hospital room looked out onto the building site which is set to become the breast care centre and he has developed a fascination with the work over time.

When the centre is built, patients will no longer be required to walk long distances between appointments or have to change clothes more than once.

Mr Hulme walked the Coast to Coast path four years ago to raise money for the unit, but is now partaking in the Extreme Abseil challenge to raise the last £500,000 needed.

Paying tribute to his wife, who was a director of human resources at NHS hospitals in London, Mr Hulme said: "Professionally she was inspirational, she was fantastic at her job. She was very kind. She had a smile for everybody.

"She was happy and optimistic right until the end. The last drink she ever had was a glass of champagne - that was her all over really."

Mr Hulme is hoping this final push in fundraising will finally bring the breast care unit at Ipswich Hospital into fruition and added: "Please give what you can in memory of an amazing woman and for all the people who will need our services in the future."