THE global success of The Northern Echo's Forgotten Hero campaign was highlighted on Saturday when a £10,000 donation, all the way from Canada, was presented.

Colonel Dan Edgar, of the Canadian High Commission, in London, handed the cheque to the newspaper's editor, Peter Barron.

Mr Barron also received a £5,000 cheque from Richard Whitehouse, commercial manager at Durham Tees Valley Airport, where the statue of Andrew Mynarski was unveiled.

The Echo's appeal to highlight the injustice of Mynarski's heroism being largely overlooked in Britain was launched last June, with the aim of raising £40,000 for the sculpture.

It attracted phenomenal interest both here and in North America and, with the aid of a Heritage Lottery Fund grant, more than £76,000 was raised.

The extra money will go to Middleton St George Primary School, near the airport.

The school was destroyed by arsonists in 2003, but was rebuilt and its pupils, who have been involved in a history project focusing on Mynarski, enthusiastically followed the campaign.

Col Edgar said the £10,000 cheque was presented to the appeal on behalf of Canada, the Canadian Air Force and particularly Mynarski's home city of Winnipeg.

The money was raised through nearly 300 personal donations from across Canada, as well as contributions from air force organisations and the city of Winnipeg itself.

"All involved are proud to know that the valour of Andrew Mynarski has been recognised by our British friends with such an outstanding monument," said Col Edgar.

The airport's donation was also generously received, as was its ongoing support for recognition of Mynarski, who set out on his fateful last mission from the then Royal Canadian Air Force base at Middleton St George, in 1944.

Mr Barron said: "We've had cheques and generous donations from so many people that it is impossible to name them all.

"But these two were particularly special as the airport has strongly backed the project and, of course, we were delighted to receive such fantastic support from our new friends in Canada."