DONATIONS to the East Anglian Daily Times' CLIC into Action appeal are soaring towards the £100,000 barrier.The milestone is double our original target and will secure two years worth of specialist cancer help for children suffering from the disease in East Anglia.

By Danielle Nuttall

DONATIONS to the East Anglian Daily Times' CLIC into Action appeal are soaring towards the £100,000 barrier.

The milestone is double our original target and will secure two years worth of specialist cancer help for children suffering from the disease in East Anglia.

The campaign, which aimed to fund a children's cancer and leukaemia nurse and play specialist at hospitals in the region, is presently just short of the £90,000 mark.

Today, we are urging our readers to help to raise that extra £10,000, which will see the fundraising soar past the £100,000 barrier and secure the vitally important services for a further year.

Michelle Gray, fundraising manager for CLIC East, said: "The support of the readers of the East Anglian Daily Times has been outstanding.

"We hope to be able to continue the appeal to reach the massive total of £100,000 which will fund our local CLIC Nurse and Play specialist salaries for not just one, but two years.

"This is more that we could have hoped for and we are delighted that local people are so supportive of CLIC's work in helping children with cancer and leukaemia and their families."

In the past month, the appeal has received a cheque for £6,667 from a Jail and Bail event, which was held in Ipswich on February 27. This takes the current appeal total to £89, 361.

Police in Ipswich agreed to arrest eight 'felons' from the local community who were transported to a local hotel or 'jail' where they were kept until they each raised £500 in pledges by telephoning friends and businesses.

During the event, Paul Brigginshaw, managing director of Fred Olsen Lines, was awarded a signed Ipswich Town Football Club shirt as a prize for raising the most money, £2,050 – despite being a Fulham supporter.

The EADT set up the campaign on February 4 last year to raise £50,000 for Cancer and Leukaemia in Childhood (CLIC).

Last month, the EADT revealed how the fundraising total had broken the £80,000 barrier thanks to a £8,000 donation by the mother of a Dovercourt teenager suffering from a rare cancer, who raised the money after organising a spring ball.

Luisa Docherty, 14, was diagnosed with acute lymphobastic leukaemia and is undergoing intensive chemotherapy.

Her mother Toni and two friends organised a fundraising ball, which was held at the Cliff Hotel in March.

During the past 15 months, people across the region have taken part in some outlandish fundraising events including abseiling teddies, sponsored bike rides, summer balls and golfathons.

Michelle Gray, fundraising manager for CLIC East, even climbed a steep terrain of up to 4,200m as she trekked in the Peruvian Andes and tackled the Inca Trail for the EADT's campaign.