THE work of a doctor who eased the pain of thousands of East Lancashire patients will be celebrated at a hospital open day.

Ward Three at Rossendale Hospital will be renamed after Dr Gerald Bond in a ceremony next Thursday.

Dr Bond trained as a doctor and worked in Manchester before taking up a post as a consultant anaesthetist with a special interest in chronic pain in 1979 in Burnley.

He ran the chronic pain service at Burnley and Rossendale hospitals and was involved in developing new techniques. He had a special interest in the use of acupuncture, hypnotherapy and complementary therapies. He died after a short illness in 2000.

Trust chief executive John Thomas said: "He was determined to see the development of a Pain Centre at Rossendale and as a tribute to his commitment and hard work in this field the unit will be known as the Gerry Bond Unit."

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust is holding its second fund-raising and open day at its chronic pain management service on Thursday between 10am and 6pm.

Visitors, including the Mayor of Rossendale Coun Eileen Kershaw, can expect to find out more about chronic pain, its management and some of the treatments offered by the service.

The event also marks the anniversary of the launch of the Rossendale/East Lancs Pain Appeal which recently reached its first £10,000 goal, and several organisations will be presenting cheques to the pain team to put towards the £75,000 target.

There will also be a chance to see a police car - the 'sister' car to the one used in the 'Heartbeat' ITV series - and there will be several stalls including a tombola/cake stall, lucky dip and fancy goods at the event with profits going to the charity

Any donations of goods for use on the day or to volunteer to help contact Jackie Fernandez or Val Wright on 01282 474683 or 01706 233003.