You did it! Thanks to your help thousands of sick and vulnerable patients will continue to receive the very best care and support from one of north Kent’s best-loved charities.

After more than three months of emergency fundraising the Ellenor Lions Hospices, supported by the Messenger and its readers, has clawed back a £200,000 funding deficit which could have seen vital services slashed.

In December the Messenger launched the Everyone Counts appeal when the charity announced it was struggling following a fall in donations as a result of the credit crunch.

And thanks to a staggering response it has smashed its target, reaching more than £205,000.

As part of the campaign, we asked everyone living and working in Gravesend and Dartford to spare £1 to help secure the charity, and hundreds of you have done just that. More than £200 has been donated in collection pots, while a generous £240 has been pledged on the Messenger’s Justgiving website.

A further £3,000 was raised after the Everyone Counts super dress-down day in February, in which many of north Kent’s schools and businesses participated.

And many of those touched by our features on the charity’s work have pledged regular donations through standing orders, ensuring a steady stream of cash for the year ahead.

The charity provides care in patients’ homes and at the Lions Hospice, in Coldharbour Road, Northfleet.

Bosses say they have been overwhelmed by the appeal’s success, but have warned that unless generous and kind-hearted fundraisers keep up the good work, that lifeline could again be at risk in the future.

Chief Executive Carol Stone said: “We are delighted we haven’t had to cut any services and it’s all been achieved with the Messenger’s help and the kindness and commitment of the local community so we really want to say a big thank you.

“But we do need ongoing support. We have cut costs as much as we can but still need £4.7 million to run all our services next year.

“There’s a lot of publicity about this recession and I think people are aware we are going to have a difficult couple of years but we can go forward optimistically and courageously because we know the support is there.”