A city news website has smashed a charity target as it celebrates five years in business.

Belfast Live has reached the £25,000 bid to provide a new outreach van to help homeless people as part of its ‘Opening Eyes On Homelessness’ campaign.

The Reach plc-owned site launched the campaign in December 2018 in partnership with charity the Welcome Organisation.

Linda-Jane Doherty, senior marketing executive at Belfast Live, led the campaign.

From left: Zoe Hanley, Welcome Centre, Nathan Hanna, Belfast Live, Kieran Hughes, Welcome Centre, and Joanne Friel, Belfast Live, at the Welcome Centre in Townsend Street, Belfast

She said: “Seeing the amazing work this charity was doing on the streets of our city was an eye-opener. We knew we had to do something significant to support their fantastic work.

“It was an ambitious target but we were confident that the generosity of our readers would help us reach our target.”

Sandra Moore, the charity’s chief executive, added: “A mobile health unit is something that this city has been crying out for, for many years. The fact that Belfast Live’s Opening Eyes on Homelessness campaign has raised funds for this service is something that would have taken us years to achieve.

“We cannot thank everyone who donated enough. This service will make a massive difference to the people living on the streets.. a potentially life-saving difference.”

Belfast Live, which was launched by Reach in February 2015, will continue to support the charity.

Deputy Editor Nathan Hanna said: “We are absolutely thrilled to reach our target. Together we did it – our readers, our staff, our clients, our local businesses. We look forward to seeing the service make a difference in our city.

“Not only have we raised the £25,000 towards getting this service on the road but we have opened eyes to homelessness along the way.”