CATHOLICS throughout West Yorkshire have received heartfelt thanks for their generous donations to the tsunami appeal.
Bishop Arthur Roche, the Bishop of Leeds, said more than £300,000 had so far been given.
And he said the figure was expected to rise as other churches organised collections and others banked the money they had collected.
Amounts ranging from £2,000 to £5,500 have been collected by individual churches.
The bishop said: "Everyone has been moved by so much suffering, loss and pain and not least the indescribable horror that people have had to deal with.
"We have all felt impelled to do what we can to help.
"I had no doubt that the people of the Leeds Diocese would rise to this need. And they have done just that.
"However, this is not just a one-off act. We shall continue to help in whatever way we can, not least of all through our personal links with that part of the world."
Bishop Roche added that some members of West Yorkshire's Catholic community were working in the affected areas and would "continue to need our support and prayers".
A LINK has been set up on Kirklees Council's website for people to make cash donations to the tsunami fund.
Donations can also be made at any of the council's cash offices.
The website at www.kirklees.gov.uk has an electronic link to the national Disaster Emergency Committee appeal site at www.dec. org.uk
The council's contact centre - Kirklees Direct on 01484 414818 - will have a service to log on to the appeal site for people without internet access.
A council spokesman said: "We are also making arrangements for those of our staff and councillors who wish to make contributions through the council payroll system."
* Please make your cheque payable to Unicef Asia Earthquake Children's Emergency Appeal.
* Complete the coupon here. By completing this we may be able to claim Gift Aid on your donation - making your money go further.
* Send your cheque and coupon to Huddersfield Examiner/Unicef Children of Asia Appeal, Freepost, Billericay CM12 0BR.
