BBC Radio Suffolk presenter Mark Murphy went back to his roots at the weekend as he helped to raise funds for Hospital Radio Ipswich (HRI) – the station where the mid-morning host started his career.

Mr Murphy was joined by fellow presenter Lesley Dolphin and representatives of HRI for the event at Asda Whitehouse, in Ipswich, on Saturday.

The team was on hand to play a range of Christmas songs for festive shoppers while they were also taking collections for the station.

In total, the day raised £336.10 for the Heath Road Trust-based station, which requires about £5,000 each year to run.

Mr Murphy, who spent about eight years at HRI and is a president of the station, along with Lesley, said: “It was fantastic, really good.

“That is where I started my broadcasting career so I am always happy to help them.

“People were really generous and I was surprised to see how unstressed everyone seemed to be.

“It was really heart warming. We were playing Christmas carols and people were commenting on how Christmassy it was.”

Volunteer members of Hospital Radio Ipswich broadcast a variety of programmes every day of the week.

The overall aim of the station is to entertain the people who are spending time in the hospital.

Mark Keable, station chairman, said he was delighted with how Saturday’s event went and said it would be a big help to the cause.

He added: “It went really well, we were really pleased.

“On behalf of the station we would like to say thanks to all the people of Ipswich who supported us.”

Also at Asda on the day was Tiggy the Tiger, the station’s mascot, who was meeting with children during the day.

If you would like more information about the station, or to volunteer your time, please visit www.hri.org.uk or, alternatively, call 01473 704666.