A fantastic £1,500 has been raised in just one week thanks to a Telegraph & Argus campaign to protect a vital toy library which helps special needs and disabled youngsters in Bradford.

The Save Our Play Appeal is now well on the way to reaching its £12,000 target - enough to keep Bradford Toy Library going for a year.

More than 1,000 children use the St Luke's Hospital-based charity, which lends out specialist toys to help stimulate them and develop their skills.

But money at the library is running dangerously low and unless it gets an urgent cash lifeline, the centre could close in March.

Thanks to the Save Our Play appeal, generous donations have been flooding in and many more people have pledged the proceeds of future events to the appeal.

Emma Fawcett, one of the co-ordinators of the toy library, said she was thrilled the campaign had got off to such a great start. "It's absolutely fantastic. The amount of people who are doing things for the appeal is unbelievable." She said she had been overwhelmed by the offers of help they had received and pleased that people had learned about the children who benefit from the library through their stories being featured in the T&A.

"Me and the other co-ordinator just want to keep our jobs because we love doing it and we are so grateful," she said. Emma thanked everyone who had given and said they were still keen to hear from businesses who may be able to contribute or offer sponsorship. Telegraph & Argus editor Perry Austin-Clarke said: "We are really pleased by the way that our Save Our Play Appeal has captured the public's imagination so quickly and that so much money has already come in within just a few days of us launching the appeal.

"Christmas is obviously a very difficult time of year to think of others when you are so busy organising your own family celebrations, but we hope others will follow the example and spare a thought for the children who will benefit from the appeal."

The toy library also houses the Laura Jackson book library, thought to be one of the biggest collections of books on special needs in the country. Parents using the library have said this too is a vital resource offering them advice and support. And experts working at the hospital's Child Development Centre, next to the toy library, have warned children could lose out if the facility was to close.

Donations can be made to the appeal by paying them in to a special bank account or by sending cheques directly to the T&A.