A WOMAN from York who has devoted herself to fundraising for Martin House Hospice has so far been involved in raising a staggering £100,000.

Eunice Cooper, 83, from Haxby, is a member of the Gillygate Friends of Martin House, which has devoted itself to supporting the children's hospice in Wetherby since its charity shop closed in Gillygate in York.

A record breaking £20,000 has been raised by the group in the last year alone, to the amazement of the hospice. They have raised £100,000 to date in total.

Eunice said: "Martin House is very important as it makes a big difference to those children.

"They give the kiddies all the love and care they need in their short lives.

"It has been a good year. The biggest bulk of the donations has come from the collection at Marks and Spencer."

Eunice said people were overwhelmingly generous after they were given permission to collect for the hospice on the third floor of Marks and Spencer.

Money has also been raised with events at St Crux, a Haxby coffee morning, collections in the streets and in supermarkets.

Eunice, who used to work in Betty's, has previously been named as person of the year at the York Press Community Pride Awards.

She has also supported other organisations including the Special Baby Care Unit (SCBU) at York Hospital as well as York Against Cancer during the last 41 years.

Allan Leak, who nominated Eunice for the Community Pride Awards, said her efforts have made her the "focal point" of the Gillygate Friends group.

She has also been awarded the Freedom of Haxby and was selected to be a recipient of the Queen's Maundy money - given to people for their charitable endeavours - when the Queen visited York in 2012.

Eunice said: "I have done fundraising for years and years. I'll carry on as long as I can."