GENEROUS Worcester residents are being thanked for donating £1.6m to the Tsunami Earthquake Appeal.

The Boxing Day 2004 disaster in Thailand, which killed more than 200,000 people, touched the hearts of thousands in the Faithful City, and was brought close to home with the deaths of Wichenford couple John and Annie Hofton. The couple were holidaying on Khao Lak when the wave hit.

Fund-raising activities from sponsored headshaves to car washes took place across Worcester with thousands of pounds being raised in the first days alone.

A Worcester News Wishband appeal raised more than £20,000, BBC Hereford and Worcester's Dave Bradley raised £25,000 by shaving off his moustache, and Worcestershire Rotary Clubs also raised many thousands to pay for emergency Shelterboxes

Now, just over a year since the tragedy, the Disasters Emergency Committee has announced that the £1.6m raised in Worcester has gone towards helping millions of tsunami survivors across the seven affected countries.

The money has been spent on roads, homes, schools, health clinics, water and sanitation, all of which are needed to rebuild entire communities.

Chief executive Brendan Gormley said: "On behalf of all DEC member agencies, I would like to say a big thank you to the people of Worcester for your amazing generosity. I hope you all have a sense of sharing in this achievement".

A total of £128m was spent in the first year of the three-year reconstruction plan - over a third of the money donated.

The DEC Tsunami Earthquake Appeal raised an incredible £372m in donations from the British public after the tsunami.

Another £50m was given directly to DEC member agencies. The global financing of tsunami reconstruction stands at about £8.6bn.

For up-to-the-minute news about DEC members' tsunami projects visit www.dec.org.uk