A COUNTY Durham market town has raised more than £15,000 for the Poppy Appeal.

Barnard Castle residents have been praised for their generosity during the 2015 appeal which closed at the end of September and raised a grand total of £15,059.04.

The 2016 Appeal launched on October 29 and during the two-week period of Remembrancetide, a total of £11,016.21 was raised.

This figure accounts for collections from the street, Morrisons, Farmers Market stall, house to house collections and donations received from various local businesses, organisations and schools.

Since then, further donations have been received and the interim appeal total submitted to The Royal British Legion on December 1 was £13,375.61.

Town mayor, Councillor John Blissett, encouraged people to get involved with town events such as the town council's 1940s weekend in June 2017, before the 2016 Appeal closes on September 30.

"The continued support of our volunteers is vital to the success of the Appeal and we are very grateful for their efforts," he said. "A big thank you also goes to all those organisations and individuals who took part in the town’s Remembrance Sunday service on November 13."

He also appealed for more volunteers to get involved with the collection

Anyone who is interested should call Yvette Farren on 01833-690970.