Star Wars characters will be out in force at the Arc Shopping Centre, in Bury St Edmunds, at the weekend, to help raise funds for the My WiSH Charity’s Every Heart Matters appeal.

Cloud City Collecting is organising the fundraising event at the Arc Shopping Centre with the opportunity for people to have photographs taken with them.

It is taking place on Saturday, May 19, from 10am, and it’s hoped funds can be raised to support the appeal which is aiming to raise £500,000 for a new cardiac diagnostic unit at the West Suffolk Hospital.

David Floyde is the founding member of Cloud City Collecting which is a vintage Star Wars toy collecting group set up last year with currently 2,000 members and growing.

He said: “As a group we are always keen to help charity causes and My WiSH Charity’s Every Heart Matters appeal is a cause close to my heart.

“My father, Tony Floyde, works for West Suffolk Hospital as the senior project manager for the new cardiac suite currently being developed and the money raised will support the appeal.”

He will also have some of the characters from Vader’s Raiders and volunteers will be chaperoning the characters so visitors can put a donation in the bucket and can also get a once-in-a-lifetime photo with their favourite sci-fi character.

David will also be there dressed as Boba Fett.

The West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust is investing £5.2m in developing a state of the art cardiac suite that will provide quicker access to more treatments, but the £500,000 My WiSH Charity is hoping to raise will lead to the whole unit, which is currently fragmented on different floors, being brought together in one purpose-built centre.

If you want to support the Every Heart Matters appeal go to the websitewww.mywishcharity.co.uk and if you would like to donate to the appeal you can do so by going to: Justgiving.com/ehma or text EHMA17 £10 to 70070.