Staff at an East Midlands daily are donating cash to their paper’s charity appeal instead of sending Christmas cards.

Last month the Leicester Mercury launched a bid to raise £450,000 to go towards a new £2m extension at the city’s ‘Loros’ hospice.

Instead of buying and sending cards, staff have all signed a Loros Christmas card and made a donation to the appeal.

The first four weeks of the campaign saw over £40,000 donated with a further £50,000 left as a legacy donation from a former patient’s will.

At the start of this week, the running total sat at just under £98,000 with campaigners hopeful of tipping the six-figure mark by Christmas Day.

Mercury deputy editor Richard Bettsworth said: “Here at the Leicester Mercury office, staff have been saying Happy Christmas to one another by signing a Loros card and making a donation to our Christmas appeal in aid of this fantastic charity.

“It’s a great way to send season’s greetings and raise money for such a worthwhile cause.

“We hope lots of other businesses and organisations in the city and county will want to do likewise and add to the tremendous fundraising effort taking place on behalf of Loros.”