PEOPLE are being encouraged to dig a little bit deeper to help worthwhile Hampshire charities as well as those providing vital aid for the region hit by the tsunami.

Charities across the county fear they could lose out on tens of thousands of pounds of cash as funds are directed towards the international tsunami relief effort.

Fareham's Rainbow Centre, which has helped hundreds of children with cerebral palsy learn to walk, expects to lose £20,000 of the £200,000 it needs to keep afloat. Founder and administration and fundraising manager Helen Somerset-How says they are being forced to look at other ways of fundraising.

Mrs Somerset-How said: "We are very concerned that we will lose out and our income relies heavily on community fundraising.

"The groups that normally raise thousands for us are now going to be directing their efforts in the direction of the tsunami disaster.

"We are also already starting to see people cancelling events for other charities as they know they just won't get the support.

"We are now looking at other avenues of fundraising and we're very keen to have people trek in Nepal with us or go skydiving. It gives people an opportunity to do something they wouldn't be able to do elsewhere."

Wessex Heartbeat raises £1m a year for the specialist unit and is aiming to raise an additional £4m over the next two years towards accommodation close to the hospital for relatives and a new training and education centre.

Chief executive Alan Blair said about £350,000 comes from community donations.

He added: "Obviously it doesn't compare to the tsunami, but when a relative is in the unit this is the single most critical thing in your life. It's a very emotional time and people appreciate having somewhere to stay.

"Heart disease kills as many in the UK each year as were killed in the tsunami.

"We hope people will say this is such a catastrophe we've got to help and then draw a line under it and continue to help other charities."

Hampshire Autistic Society's Ann Jarman admitted that initially the charity's first fundraiser of 2005, a race night at the Rose Bowl on February 4 had suffered, but recently ticket sales and corporate support had picked up. She said: "The tsunami has brought to the fore the achievements which can be made through charity fund-raising."

Bridgett Vane of disabled children's charity the Rose Road Association is remaining positive, saying: "My feeling is that people are generous. There's money out there for all of us."