Ledbury people have been so moved by the tsunami disaster in Asia that they have already donated close to £10,000 and the total is still rising.

Thirty businesses, including shops and pubs, have become collection points for an appeal organised by Ledbury Rotary Club.

The Red Cross is also collecting and one local person walked into the New Street charity shop and wrote out a cheque for £1,000. Another person gave £200.

Shop volunteer Jane Harvey said: "We've had people coming in helplessly wanting to do something. Folk have been contributing £10 and £20, straight from the pensions in their wallets."

Assistant manager Sue Howson said the shop had been inundated, with 40 bags of clothes donated on Tuesday and the same again on Wednesday.

Cash donations at the Red Cross shop have now broken the £2,000 mark. The charity is calling for mainly financial donations because money spent in the disaster area also helps the economies to recover.

Kindness has been across the generations, with Ledbury Primary School pupil Mariam Njeri, aged eight, hearing about the disaster in class and deciding to contribute her pocket money to the Rotary appeal.

Homend butcher John Miles, president of Ledbury Rotary Club, said: "The response has been terrific with our appeal alone raising £3,100 so far and the money is still coming in."

The 30 businesses involved in the Rotary-led appeal will be collecting until Tuesday and Mr Miles is hoping the £5,000 barrier will be broken, not including the £1,000 already donated by the club from its own funds.

The town should easily smash the £10,000 target in the next few days.

Mr Miles said: "I've personally taken a cheque of £100 and publican Andy Ward brought in £620, collected at the Talbot."

The amount raised at Tesco by

collections has yet to be announced but a spokesman said that as much as £2,000 might have been raised there so far. The store has also given its permission for the Red Cross to hold collections there this weekend.

Yesterday (Thursday), Somerfield said over £600 had been donated since the appeal started in store on December 29.

In the Bredenbury group of parishes, near Bromyard, more than £6,000 was raised on Bank Holiday Monday. People got together at Shortwood Farm, Pencombe, for a shared lunch, auction, bring-and-buy and draw.

Fundraising is still ongoing, with a coffee morning in the Burgage Hall, organised by the Ledbury Civic Society tomorrow (Saturday) from 10am.

There will be a charity auction at the Farmer's Arms, Wellington Heath, on Sunday from 7pm and a bingo evening at the Ledbury Royal British Legion Club on Friday, January 14, at 7.30pm.