A mystery Telegraph & Argus reader has brought the Save Our Play Appeal one step closer to its target with a massive £1,000 gift.

The generous donation has been sent in response to our appeal for Bradford Toy Library, which helps thousands of special needs children but could close in months due to a lack of cash.

Perry Austin-Clarke, editor of the Telegraph & Argus, said: "This wonderfully generous donation is a great boost for the Appeal as we approach the start of a new year.

"To be almost half way towards our total at this stage is better than we hoped and we're looking forward to working with readers to pushing on towards the target with renewed energy and determination in 2004."

The library, an independent charity based at St Luke's Hospital, lends out specially-designed toys to help youngsters with conditions such as autism and cerebral palsy develop their physical and social skills.

However it urgently needs more funding to pay for new toys, which can cost more than £100 each, and for its two part-time co-ordinators who are crucial to the running of the library.

The T&A Save Our Play Appeal is aiming to raise at least £12,000 to keep the library going for another 12 months and so far there has been a fantastic response.

With the latest donations, the total now stands at a massive £5,433 - almost halfway there less than three weeks after the appeal began.

Emma Fawcett, one of the toy library co-ordinators, was thrilled with the news. She said: "It's overwhelming. Thanks to everyone who has supported the appeal to far - it has been absolutely brilliant."

As well as lending out toys, the library houses one of the largest collections of special needs books in the country, the Laura Jackson Book Library, which can help parents understand their child's condition and explain it to siblings.

Donations have been flooding in since the appeal was launched.

Eighty workers at Pitney Bowes Management Services, based at Abbey House in Bradford, dressed down before Christmas and raised £140 for the appeal. And Shipley firm Spacekraft - which supplies the library with many of its specialist toys - gave an early festive gift with a bumper tub of equipment.

Yorkshire Building Society has also donated £1,000 from its Charitable Foundation.