It is just over a year since the Evening Press launched its campaign to help St Leonard's Hospice raise £2 million by the end of 2000.

LET'S DANCE: Line dancing teachers Ted and Dora Harrison who raised £637 with their Ruby Wedding donation

Since our rallying cry, the hospice has raised nearly £800,000 and is zeroing in on its target of reaching £1 million by the end of this year - thanks to the generosity and fundraising of Evening Press readers.

One of the latest donations is from Ted and Dora Harrison who invited guests at their Ruby Wedding celebrations to dance the night away - and to make donations rather than giving them presents.

Following the Country and Western night at Osgodby village hall, the couple, who are line dancing teachers, presented a cheque for £637 to Janet Morley, fundraising organiser at the hospice.

During the party the family entered into the spirit of the event by dressing in ruby. Mrs Harrison, from Stillingfleet, who is a regular helper with hospice street collections, said: "When we decided to have a party for our Ruby Wedding we decided that we would like to help St Leonard's Hospice with their appeal."

The Harrisons' generosity echoes that of Vera and Geoffrey Thomlinson, from Malvern Avenue, off Poppleton Road, who in January asked relatives and friends to donate to the hospice instead of giving them presents for their Diamond Wedding.

The day we launched the appeal, the hospice received a massive donation of £333,000 after being bequeathed virtually the entire estate of Iris Willett-Bakke when she died, aged 86.

Mrs Willett-Bakke's husband, Gordon, died in the hospice in 1989 and his widow was deeply touched by the way he was looked after and the care she received in her bereavement.

Thousands of pounds have been left to the hospice in the wills of former patients and their families, including donations of £67,000, £45,000 and £21,000.

Wacky fundraising events from head shaves to bicycle pub crawls have been part of daily life in and around York.

And other ways of making donations have touched the heart.

In January, seven-year-old Lewis Ashton, from Clifton, swam an amazing 22 lengths of his local swimming pool and raised £900 for the hospice appeal.

Throughout the year, the appeal has won the support of dignitaries and celebrities alike and the A-list includes the Archbishop of York, Peter Snow, Dickie Bird, Christopher Timothy and Harry Gration.

Karen Russell, finance and fundraising manager for the hospice, said: "The support of the Evening Press and the marvellous response of readers to the appeal has been tremendously encouraging to everyone at the hospice.

"Our fundraising team has been kept busy responding to the variety of events and novel ideas coming from so many sectors of the community and we have been thrilled to mark each £100,000 milestone with the putting on of another petal on the giant sunflower.

"Every donation, large or small, has been greatly appreciated and every fundraising event also encourages someone else to support the appeal."

The total now stands at exactly £768,723.04.

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