The Newcastle Evening Chronicle has raised £20,000 in less than 48 hours, to buy new prosthetic hands for a 21-month-old meningitis survivor.

The North East daily launched the Give Tilly A Hand appeal in Thursday’s paper, and by Saturday had reached its target thanks to donations from readers and £5,000 from the paper’s Sunshine Fund.

Readers responded after the Chronicle told the story of Tilly Lockey, who had both her hands amputated at the wrist and also lost all her toes.

She faced limited options under the NHS, but her parents found a set of specially-made myoelectric hands which would give Tilly the most lifelike and active hands – and thanks to the Chronicle she will now be able to have them fitted.

Editor Paul Robertson said: “We expected to raise the money in a short space of time but to do it in less than 48 hours is quite remarkable.

“It shows the power of the regional press, when everyone says it’s a dying breed, and the caring nature of people living in this area.”

Paul said cheques were still continuing to pour in to the newspaper and he would now sit down with the family to discuss what to do with the rest of the money, perhaps putting it in a trust fund for when Tilly outgrew her hands.