DONATIONS have been flooding into the Gazette's Lydia Cross

appeal this week, taking the cash total up to a whopping £630.

And that looks certain to grow and grow after the fun-loving staff and regulars of Chippenham's Mill House pub announced plans to make Lydia their sole fundraising beneficiary for 2004.

"We organise a packed programme of events throughout the year and always choose one organisation or group to benefit," said manager Sally Borgman.

"In the past, this has led to Frogwell School receiving £600 and Bath Royal United Hospital receiving £1,000.

"We had a staff meeting last week to discuss our plans for 2004 and realised we'd all been reading about Lydia in the paper and that we wanted to make her our beneficiary for this year."

Two-year-old Lydia had both her legs amputated below in the knee in December, after doctors failed to diagnose meningitis and the blood poisoning condition, septicaemia.

The Appeal for Lydia, set up by the Gazette, will place donated money in trust, until a time when Lydia's parents, Tony and Jody, who live in Chippenham, decide what it can be used to buy, to enrich their daughter's life.

Events already planned by the Mill House on Bath Road, for the coming months include a murder mystery evening, an Easter egg hunt and a bungee jump event in July.

The series will kick off in February with a family Snail Racing Day, in which the audience bet on animated snails racing on a giant screen.

When told about the Mill House plans, Lydia's father called it "amazing".

"That's so kind," said Mr Cross, who is an Army sergeant based at Hullavington. "We're just blown away by how generous people are being.

"It's great to know that so many people are coming forward and offering their help to the appeal and we and Lydia are looking forward to meeting them."

Among the other gestures of support received this week, the congregation of Hullavington Church are organising a coffee morning and raffle.

Parishioner Elaine Johnson said: "We have all been shattered by what has happened to Lydia, whose family lives in our community. We wanted to show our love to her."

Anyone is welcome to attend the event at Mrs Johnson's home; Dovecote Barn, Belfry Drive, Hullavington, on January 23, from 9am to noon.

The dancers of Chippenham Highlights are also hoping to bring a smile to Lydia's face by giving her family complimentary tickets to their production of Alice in Wonderland, while Chippenham artist Keith Wilson has donated a percentage of the sales from his exhibition at Starbucks in Bath this month, to the appeal.

Cheques have also continued to pour in and while some donors have chosen to remain anonymous, some have enclosed details of why they felt compelled to help.

Widow and pensioner Rosie Exton, 75, of Corn Gastons, Malmesbury, said that following the recent death of two friends, she had decided to donate the money she would have spent on funeral flowers, to the Lydia Appeal.

"I have eight grandchildren and reading Lydia's story touched my heart," said Mrs Exton.

Donations to the Appeal for Lydia should be sent to either of the Gazette & Herald's offices at Market Place Chippenham or Market Place Devizes.