N-E in action

Appeal builds to disco night

Anita Savory has launched an appeal in Weardale, County Durham, culminating in a fundraising event featuring the Orpheus Disco on Saturday, January 15, at 7.30pm, in Wolsingham Club. Her 24-year-old daughter, Kelly-Ann, a teacher at Green Lane Primary School, in Barnard Castle, spent six weeks in the affected area last summer.

Door-to-door: Villagers in Heighington, near Darlington, will carry out door-to-door collections over the next few days. Up to 40 people attended a meeting in the village hall on Monday to discuss fundraising ideas, including a cheese and wine evening, a soccer tournament and sponsored toddle.

Band's stand: Cockerton Silver Band, Darlington, has donated the proceeds from its last event of 2004. The band raised £244 as it played in Darlington's Twenty-2 Conniscliffe Road Ale House and Wine Bar, on New Year's Eve afternoon.

Buffet boost: Stockton Youth Service will hold a cultural buffet at the Citizen and Democracy HQ, in Silver Street, Stockton on Monday, from 10am to 7pm. There will be a fancy dress competition. Tickets, costing £5, can be obtained on (01642) 527976.

Help needed: The Oxfam shop in Thirsk Market Place, North Yorkshire, needs volunteers to sort goods and cash donations. Anyone who can help is asked to visit the shop or call (01845) 524081.

Bike ride: Colin Chapman, 23, will do a sponsored bike ride from Stockton to Middlesbrough and back on Saturday, January 22. Sponsors are asked to call him on 07745 618679.

Paper money: A collection by staff at The Northern Echo, Darlington and Stockton Times and Advertiser series, in Priestgate, Darlington, has so far raised £322.

Mass cash: Worshippers at St Mary's Catholic Cathedral, in Clayton Street West, Newcastle, raised £7,200 after holding collections at four Sunday Masses.

Coffee break: A coffee morning will be held at the Masonic Hall, Middleton-in-Teesdale, County Durham, on Saturday, from 10am to 11.30am.

Coffee morning: A fundraising coffee morning will be held in Durham Town Hall, Market Place, Durham , on Saturday, 9am to 1pm.

Grand gift: The Rotary Club of Durham Bede is to donate £1,000. Members will also discuss other ways they can help in future.

Legal aid: Staff and customers at Blackett Hart and Pratt Solicitors, in Faverdale, Darlington, held a collection. The firm will also make a donation.

Church cash: Hollybush Church, South Otterington, North Yorkshire, raised £1,496 with a collection.

£800 raised: Sunday's congregation at Durham Cathedral collected £800.

United effort: Four charity organisations in Malton and Norton, North Yorkshire, will join forces to mount a street collection this weekend. Members of the Rotary Club, Round Table, Lions and Soroptimists will be collecting tomorrow, from 9.30am to 1pm, and on Saturday, from 8.30am to 1pm.

Voice raised: Catherine Bell, 15, from Pickering, North Yorkshire, has organised a concert at which three local bands will perform at Pickering Recreation Club, on Saturday, at 7.30pm. Tickets are £3 or £10 for families. To book, phone (01751) 476541.

Churches respond: Collections at churches in Hunmanby and Muston, on the North Yorkshire coast, raised a total of £1,600. In Strensall church members have collected more than £700 since Sunday.

Pub fund: A collection and raffle was organised by a local churchwarden at the Crown Inn, Brompton, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, on New Year's Eve.

£5,500 raised: The congregation at St Michael-le-Belfry in York has so far raised £5,500 for the Disasters Emergency Committee.

£10,000 kicks off city's appeal

CITY of York Council has launched an appeal with a donation of £10,000.

Although only launched on Tuesday, York Aid has already amassed nearly £28,800 - including a further £10,000 pledge by building firm Shepherds.

Other businesses have also responded, with £1,000 from Mulberry Hall, £1,000 from McArthur Glen, £1,000 from Browns department store, £2,000 from the Coppergate Centre and £500 from Miniature Scene, among others.

York City FC and York City Knights made ground collections at their fixtures over the weekend.

The council's City Finance Centre, in Museum Street, is now open to anyone wishing to make donations by cash or cheque, from 8.30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Donations can also be made by post to City of York Council, Disaster Appeal, City Finance Centre, Library Square, York YO1 7DD.

Cheques should be made payable to City of York Council, marking Disaster Appeal clearly on the back.

Council chief executive David Atkinson said: "By using the council's facilities and making this donation, we hope we can make a difference to those affected by this appalling tragedy."

Donation points across borough

AN appeal for cash was launched in Hartlepool yesterday by borough council chairman Carl Richardson.

Initially, seven donation points have been set up across town for people to give money, but more could follow.

Councillor Richardson said: "The recovery process is going to be immense and over a significant period of time, so the more help people can give the better.

"In particular, I would like to see some of the money raised going towards an early warning system to prevent anything like this ever happening again."

Money can be donated at: Hartlepool Civic Centre; Central Library; Mill House Leisure Centre; Seaton Library; Hartlepool Historic Quay; Wynyard House, in Wynyard Road; Headland Development Trust, at 21 Northgate, Headland; and West View Housing Office, in Miers Avenue.

Children's dash for cash after watching suffering on TV

AN 11-year-old boy touched by the plight of the tsunami victims has got together with friends to raise money for the appeal.

Max Coates, of Scorton, near Richmond, North Yorkshire, organised a three-mile sponsored run on Tuesday for himself and 22 friends.

"I was watching TV with my mum when I saw the poor people who had been hit by the earthquake," said Max. "I thought they needed our help."

Together with friend, Alastair Bell, Max planned the route and designed the sponsorship forms on a computer.

After printing them off, the pair went around the village asking friends to take part.

"Everybody got so tired and some of the little ones just conked out," said Max. "I had to run back and carry some of them on my back."

His mother, Karen Coates, said: "It was a wonderful event - I think the appeal has touched everybody."

Another parent said: "We are very proud of all the children - those who have organised this fundraising effort with very little help from us, just a little direction, and the children who have taken part and gone out and got the sponsorship."

The kind-hearted youngsters hope to have raised at least £500.

Drinkers dig deep for victims

GENEROUS businesses and drinkers have dug deep to raise more than £800 to aid tsunami disaster victims.

Members at the Priory Club, in Redcar, east Cleveland, organised a raffle with dozens of prizes.

Club owner Peter Carragher arranged a first prize of 50 pints to the winner, but when word spread about the fundraising, more prizes were quickly offered.

The charity bucket was full to the rim and raised a total of £875 at the Lord Street club on Saturday.

Mr Carragher said: "It started off quite small with first, second and third prizes, but then members started putting their hands in their pockets.

"I was overwhelmed by the response, people were coming to the bar and asking to help with a prize."

Pirates line appeal's pockets with booty

PIRATES and buxom beauties went on a modern-day pub crawl to raise cash.

An impromptu sex change amongst the crew of the RNLI Inshore Lifeboat, Pride of Leicester, helped raise £300.

The lifeboat crew,with their wives in tow, staged their fancy fundraising event in aid of the tsunami disaster fund on New Year's Eve.

In an unusual gender swap, the crew dressed as big and busty wenches, and the women as burly Pirates, complete with bad teeth and evil-looking scars.

The costumes raised smiles and urged drinkers in Staithes, east Cleveland, to dig deep and give generously.