A surge of donations has pushed the EDP's Let's Fight for Fakenham appeal to more than £6,550 in just eight days.

The appeal will support victims of the town's most devastating fire in living memory, which tore through the Market Place last month.

Kind-hearted people from around the region have dug deep to give what they can – with cheques rolling in from Thetford, Cambridge, Great Yarmouth, King's Lynn and Swaffham.

The donations put the appeal, which is supported by the Norfolk Community Foundation, on track to reach its target – £10,000 in one month.

Olive Thompson, finance manager at the NCF, said: 'People have got hearts. There are so many situations where things go wrong today, and perhaps we are all trying to help each other out a bit more – I would like to think so.

'A lot of the donations have been small but there have been a lot – and they all add up.'

Fakenham Racecourse donated £500 and promoted the appeal at a ladies' day on Sunday after they named a race The EDP Fakenham Fire Appeal Fund Novices' Hanicap Hurdle Race.

The EDP donated £1,000 to the fund, with the Original Factory Shop also giving the same sum.

Six households were left homeless after the blaze tore through one of the town's most recognisable buildings – the former Aldiss department store, which has housed the Original Factory Shop in recent years.

Meanwhile, the investigation into the fire is still ongoing, according to David Ashworth, head of operations at Norfolk Fire and Rescue service.

'We are working alongside the insurers and loss adjusters of the affected parties to establish the most likely cause. Obtaining forensic details will take time as the building is currently structurally unsafe but we are working with the owners of the building and North Norfolk District Council to allow this to happen as soon as we possibly can,' he said.

To donate, make cheques payable to the Norfolk Community Foundation and take it to your nearest EDP office or send it to: The NCF, St James Mill, Whitefriars, Norwich, NR3 1SH.

Have you been affected by the fire? Contact adam.lazzari@archant.co.uk