The number is up for staff at York's St Leonard's Hospice - who are hoping thousands of people will be calling on Thursday during their first-ever big appeal phone-in.

Hospice fundraising manager Janet Morley prepares for the charity phone-in

Click on the sunflower to read all about the Hospice 2000 Appeal

Between 9am and 9pm local celebrities will be among the people answering calls to 0800 6524466 during the gift day phone-in where people will have the chance to make credit card donations to the Hospice 2000 Appeal.

Those picking up the phones will include Evening Press editor Liz Page, York's Lord Mayor Peter Vaughan, and the BBC's Harry Gration.

The event is being hosted by major new local employer CPP, and Minster FM will be urging listeners to call in and will be giving updates on the amount raised troughout the day.

Nigel Sabell, the call manager at CPP, said: "Being new to York, CPP is very keen to be involved in the local community and to support Hospice 2000.

"We were very pleased to offer our help for the phone-in and on Thursday we have back-up staff who have volunteered their time to help and there will be a party atmosphere here.

Hospice finance and fundraising manager Karen Russell said the free number had been donated by a new company on the British telecommunications scene called Telia UK, who are the national operator in Sweden.

If you're wondering why there are seven digits to ring after the code it is the shape of phone numbers to come, as from next April those in London and other big cities like Cardiff and Portsmouth will have an extra number.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.