A campaign to save the house and garden of a 'visionary' artist and activist has received an 'amazing' response, say the organisers.

The appeal to rescue Prospect Cottage in Dungeness, which belonged to artist, filmmaker and LGBT icon Derek Jarman, was launched two days ago by Art Fund.

Jarman, who died in 1994, is thought to be one of the most influential figures in 20th-century British culture.

He moved to the cottage, which sits in the shadow of the power station, in 1986 following his diagnosis of HIV.

The campaign aims to raise £3.5 million in order to preserve the "sanctuary of art and imagination", and prevent it from being sold off privately.

It says that the cottage and garden "have the potential to inspire artists and visitors long into the future."

If the funds are raised, a residency programme will be set up for artists, writers, filmmakers and more, as well as open the cottage to members of the public for the first time.

'We have a long, long way to go...'- Fiona Kingsman

Arts organisation Creative Folkestone will also oversee restoration and preservation of the garden.

The team are already almost halfway towards completing their goal, as the current figure on the fundraiser shows that it is 48% complete.

There have been 1,371 funders so far, with 35 making £1,000 donations and three stumping up £1,250.

Each donation receives its own unique reward, ranging from pins and badges to limited edition signed prints from artists involved in the campaign.

Fiona Kingsman, deputy chief executive of Creative Folkestone, said: "It's fantastic the response we've had from the general public, but we have a long, long way to go still.

"I was at the unveiling of the campaign and it was wonderful to see so many people who's lives were touched by Derek.

"It's so important to get the campaign out into the general public's mind, so that they're aware that if we don't do this, we will lose Prospect Cottage.

"We will need some big donations from other places too, of course, but the general public can, and have, helped so much."

A message from Art Fund's twitter account said: "Thanks for the amazing response from everyone who is helping #SaveProspectCottage by spreading the news and donating."

To view the rewards and donate to the campaign, click here.

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