Hundreds of pounds have already poured in from big-hearted readers who have been touched by the plight of children's charity Bibic and have come forward to Help Bibic Bounce Back in the first 48 hours of the Western Daily Press appeal.

Dozens of messages of support have also been sent to staff at the charity who say they have been bowled over by the level of support in the days since the fundraising campaign was launched by the Western Daily Press.

Bibic chief executive John Bennett said: "We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has already contacted us with kind messages of support and helped to get the ball rolling with donations.

"It's incredible and we would like to thank each and every person who has helped us so far in what has been a very upsetting week for staff and volunteers.

"We desperately need as much support as possible to help us overcome this.

"I know it is a difficult time financially for everyone but we really are very grateful for any donation, however big or small."

So far, more than £500 has been donated to the cause and there promises to be more on the way as offers come flooding in.

News of the Bibic tragedy has even gone global this week with supporters from as far afield as Australia getting in touch to offer the charity their help.

Mr Bennett said: "We have had so many emails from people saying that they are going to hold fundraising events for us and that is brilliant news."

More than 400 children and their families visit Bibic every year and it is the only charity in the country that specialises in devising individual therapy programmes for youngsters living with learning difficulties, neurological problems and developmental delay.

The sensory pool, built in 1989, plays a pivotal part in the assessment of each child and is at the heart of the work undertaken by the charity.

In the wake of Tuesday's fire, Bibic faces rebuilding costs of £250,000 in order to continue providing its life-changing facilities for young people and their families nationwide.