A 36-hour appeal has raised over £2.85 million for Camp Simcha, supporting families with seriously ill children.

The “Make A Difference” campaign received over 13,700 donations and the total generated covered the annual cost of providing its services.

Chief executive Neville Goldschneider pointed out that during the past year, the charity assisted over 1,400 family members. And it received three new referrals during the fundraiser.

“Many who we are presently helping need more from us than they previously did.

“The amazing communal support we have received over the past two days will help ensure we can be there for each and every family who need Camp Simcha.”

He added that “even in the most difficult of times, our wonderful community has stepped up and been so incredibly generous. We are overwhelmed and beyond grateful.

“We hope the success of this campaign ensures that even with the pressures of inflation and rising referrals, we will be able to say ‘yes’ to everyone who needs our support.”

Interviewed in the campaign film, Camp Simcha parent Katie Hainbach - whose daughter Leia has a rare and life-limiting condition – said that with “an unwell child, the costs are just enormous.You don’t have the ability to have two parents working full-time.

“A lot of the help we receive from Camp Simcha, we just couldn’t afford by ourselves.”

“That Jewish ethos is really obvious in what they do. It’s very much about making sure you are really well supported by the whole Camp Simcha community.”