RED Cross volunteers collecting for the Asian tsunami appeal raised more than £13,650 across York and North Yorkshire this weekend.

Bucket collections at Tesco supermarkets at Clifton Moor and Strensall, in York, and Thirsk, Scarborough and Northallerton, raised £8,434.76, with totals from stores in Selby, Catterick and Tadcaster Road, York, still to come.

At least a further £5,140.05 was collected from shoppers in York city centre, and £79.05 at Osbaldwick.

Red Cross Yorkshire fundraising manager Mark Henderson said: "It's absolutely phenomenal. It is just so much more than we could have expected."

He said about 150 people had helped with the collections, including staff from City of York Council, members of various Lions organisations and parishioners from St Michael-le-Belfrey Church, in York.

Meanwhile, almost £7,000 is being donated to help aid efforts by Ryedale fundraisers.

St Leonard & St Mary's RC Church, in Malton, collected £3,134 for international aid agency CAFOD during its weekend services, which will increase by £637 thanks to many parishioners opting to use the Inland Revenue's gift-aid scheme.

The Ryedale Lions are donating £3,000, which was raised through a street collection in Helmsley over the weekend, and ten evening collections in North Yorkshire villages before Christmas.

Updated: 09:56 Monday, January 10, 2005