HUNDREDS of books have been donated to Martin House Hospice, at Boston Spa near Wetherby, which cares for seriously ill children and young people.

Yorkshire Water, and its sister company, Loop, made the literary donation as part of its regular Community Chest Week.

Employees were encouraged to bring in books from home which they no longer needed. These were then distributed to charities and organisations across the region.

Most of the children's books collected by the staff were donated to Martin House to provide hours of entertainment for the children and their families.

Any extra books will be sold through the hospice charity shop in Boston Spa, with funds helping to ensure that the high level of care provided by the hospice can continue. Maureen Burns, fundraising manager for Martin House, said: "It was a lovely surprise when we got the phone call to ask if we could make use of the books.

"We weren't expecting so many - they will certainly be put to good use by all who stay at Martin House."

Karen O'Rourke, spokeswoman for Yorkshire Water, said: "Our Community Chest Weeks are hugely popular at both Yorkshire Water and Loop, our call centre.

"We have been inundated with thousands of high-quality books, some of them brand new, which our colleagues have donated.

"We always ask our colleagues where they would like their donations to be sent to and top of the list this time was Martin House."

Updated: 10:29 Tuesday, April 29, 2003