Work has got under way on a hospital's new high-dependency unit for children – thanks to cash raised in an appeal by The Press at York.

Over the past two-and-a-half years, readers of The Press have pulled out all the stops to support the newspaper's £300,000 Guardian Angels Appeal to transform the way York cares for its sickest, most vulnerable children.

The appeal is now only £50,000 short of its target but hospital authorities are so confident it will soon be raised, they have called in the builders to start work. In just four months' time, the life-saving unit could finally be up and running.

Editor Kevin Booth said: "We realise that £300,000 is a lot of money and it's thanks to the generosity of our readers that we have so nearly reached that target.

"This new unit will make an enormous difference to desperately-ill children. Money has been raised in so many ways, from straight donations to imaginative fundraising – even children have given up birthday and Christmas presents in lieu of a donation. We hope our readers will continue to support us to the end."

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