Thanks Uemura, I had a look at it and it seems promising. Don't have any ZnCl2 or NaBH4 but maybe I should get some (I assume NaBH4 is not a suspicious purchase ?)
After finding out some more about ester redn with Na/ROH, it seems the reaction is a lot more temperamental than I previously thought. So I'll most likely not re-attempt it.
Therefore the ZnBH4 or LAH route will recieve serious consideration over the next few days..