GENEROUS well-wishers have raised thousands of pounds for a range of causes in 2017.

The popularity of online crowdfunding pages boomed this year, with around £12billion being collected through people donating to worthy causes throughout the World.

It is now the most relied upon method to collect money and has been used in York to give money to families who have experienced tragedies or individuals struggling to pay bills.

The death of Katie Rough in Woodthorpe shocked the community, but also saw outpourings of grief and offers of support from around the UK and the world.

Maggie Jackson, from York, set up a crowdfunding page within days of the seven-year-old's death in January at www.gofundme.com and raised  £25,000 for Katie's family.

Nick Freeman, also known as Mr Loophole, who has defended celebrities including David Beckham and Jimmy Carr, started a fund for Kenneth Hugill, 83, in March, after he was acquitted of Grievous Bodily Harm when he shot a man on his farm in Wilberfoss, near York.

Mr Freeman set out to raise £30,000 in a bid to pay for the farmer's legal costs after Mr Hugill was cleared of the charge in 24 minutes at Hull Crown Court.

The court heard the man who he shot in the foot has convictions for burglary, theft and possession of an offensive weapon, and, at hospital, gave three different versions of events before admitting a farmer had shot him.

After reading about the case, Mr Freeman said he felt so strongly about the fact Mr Hugill would not be recompensed for his legal costs that he launched a crowd funding page, and raised £22,695.

Alex and Patrycia Klis lost their parents, Marcin and Angelika Klis in a terrorist attack after an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena in May.

The couple were killed along with 21 others when a homemade bomb was detonated as people were leaving the arena.

An outpouring of generosity after the attack has seen hundreds of thousands of pounds donated to help the siblings and other victims of the terror attack, on crowdfunding websites and the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund, which raised more than £5 million.

The sisters have used their share of the money to buy a new home and move out of their parents’ rented accommodation.

Thousands of pounds was also raised to help Stacie Rafton, a mum of two, to undergo private chemotherapy unavailable on the NHS.

The 35-year-old, who has terminal cancer, had hoped to use the money to pay for the expensive treatment, but was told by doctors the drug had not stopped her brain tumour from growing and the family will now decide how the money will be spent.