MORE than £50,000 has been raised by the York Aid tsunami appeal.

The Evening Press and City of York Council York Aid fund total now stands at £51,532.21, boosted by new donations from political parties, primary school children and private companies.

Council leader Steve Galloway said: "I am delighted we have reached this milestone - it is more than we expected to achieve in a couple of weeks."

Another local collection breaking the £50,000 barrier is made up of donations from customers at Marks & Spencer in York. The company's Asian Earthquake Appeal nationwide now stands at £2m.

Brian Littlejohn, York store manager, said: "The great thing for us is that this speaks volumes about the people of York. It's an absolutely incredible amount, and we really have to take our hats off to them."

The company will use the money to fund reconstruction efforts in the Kalutara, Galle and Matara regions of Sri Lanka.

Children at Carr Junior School, in Acomb, have also done their bit for the appeal. Four Year 6 pupils organised a non-uniform day last Wednesday for the whole school.

Luke Simpson-Barrett, Kim Stephenson, Sam Wadsworth, Natalie Shaw came up with the idea, asked the head teacher for permission, designed and printed posters to pin up at the school, sent a letter to parents informing them, and collected and counted the donations. The day raised £352.86 for the DEC appeal.

Gordon Rusk, head teacher at Carr Junior School, in Acomb, said: "It just shows once again how caring children are, and how they do actually take notice of what's happening in the world around them."

And relief for the victims of the tsunami is not just about money. York-based Norwich Union Life, the country's biggest insurer, announced yesterday it would handle life insurance claims "sensitively and as quickly as possible".

As reported in later editions of yesterday's Evening Press, the company will apply a "reasonable evidence" test to any claims, meaning it will investigate and pay claims even without a death certificate. Such certificates are not normally issued for seven years if a body cannot be found.

Operations director Mike Kirsch said: "Everyone has been shocked at the scale of the tsunami tragedy and the level of human loss and suffering it has caused."

Updated: 10:57 Wednesday, January 19, 2005