CHARITY workers are all fingers and thumbs pulling together a huge collection of thimbles to raise money for their hospice.

Volunteers have found themselves inundated with donated thimbles, which they are now calling for the help from lovers of the decorated collectable.

Thousands of thimbles have been donated over the years to St T’s, the St Teresa’s Hospice chain of charity shops.

Hospice eBay manager and volunteer Peter Bradshaw has appealed to collectors to come into the Darlington Superstore, on High Row, to thumb through the collection.

More than a thousand thimbles have been collected ranging from tourist trinkets to collectables from Aynsley and Delft, with examples in ceramics, wood and metal.

“We have everything from thimbles shaped like animals to others sporting the image of the Pope,” Mr Bradshaw said.

“They have been bought from anywhere from Chatsworth to Cornwall and around the world too.”

St T’s shops are a major contributor to fundraising at St Teresa’s Hospice which needs £3m a year to maintain its palliative and end of life care and support services for the people of Darlington, South Durham and North Yorkshire.

The shops are stocked through donations and house clearances and help raise money to fund its services.

For more information about St Teresa's Hospice, call 01325 254321 or visit darlingtonhospice.org.uk