The Ipswich-based East Anglian Daily Times is celebrating its fastest-evercampaign success.

The newspaper launched ‘A Haven for Maya’ with a target of raising £15,000to build a new playroom for Maya Felton.

Campaign launched

Two-year-old Maya was born with an extremely rare chronic skin condition which means that her skin blisterswith any kind of friction.

The blisters fill with blood and have to bedrained, and so the little girl spends her life wrapped in bandages and hasan intense medication programme to fight the pain and repeated infection.

The genetic condition also affects her internally and has even damaged hereyesight, and will drastically shorten her life expectancy.

She and her brother Matthew and sister Martha lost their playroom when itwas turned into a treatment suite and parents Marlini and Mark wantedto build an extension as a ‘sanctuary’ – an area where medical equipment isbanned and where the children could play together safely. Their nursing careteam approached the EADT to seek their help.

Reporter Danielle Nuttall and picture editor Paul Nixon prepared a series offeatures and pictures for the campaign, which launched on Monday February18.

Success announced

Just eight editions later the fund total stood at £15,834.50 -shattering the target.

Deputy editor Dominic Castle said: “It has been a phenomenal success.

“Wehave had contributions of cash and cheques from almost 1,000 readers, somesending £5, some as much as £500. Readers have phoned in offering auctionprizes, the takings from a designer clothes sale and even the proceeds froma duck race! An electrician has offered his expertise to do the wiring forthe extension and a tile company has donated the flooring.

“The full credit for this success goes to Danielle and Paul.

“Danni workedvery hard at building a relationship with the family and then wrote anexcellent series of features which put over the story of Maya and hersituation without descending into mawkishness or sensationalism and Paul’spatient efforts produced a wonderful set of pictures to complement them.

“Asa result our readers have responded magnificently.

“The family and the nursing team have been astounded by the speed of thecampaign, which took everyone by surprise. No-one at the East Anglian canremember a faster result for any campaign we have run.”