A VITAL Hampshire drop-in asthma clinic which helps thousands of sufferers in the south has been given a wonderful Christmas present - a six-month stay of execution - thanks to the Daily Echo.

The Asthma and Allergy Inflammation Research Clinic (Aair) will remain open beyond Christmas for six more months after it received a string of small donations from our army of readers.

The axe still hangs over the clinic, which is funded by the Aair charity at Southampton General Hospital, unless £30,000 can be found to guarantee its future. It has raised around £3,000 to date - enough to ensure its temporary existence beyond an anticipated New Year's closing deadline.

Principal nurse at the clinic Chellan Eames said: "I'm absolutely thrilled that we have been able to keep going. It gives us some time to find some permanent funding.

"I would like to thank everybody for their efforts and please keep the support coming."

The clinic operates a number of surgeries across the Southampton area including Romsey and Hythe and provides 28,000 asthma sufferers with vital support.

It provides specialist asthma and allergy support that many doctors surgeries are unable to specialise in.

Pupils at a Southampton school have been among the generous donators to Aair when they performed a celebration of world music in memory of a former pupil who was known as "the Smile of the World".

Pupils at Mansel Junior School in Millbrook, Southampton, paid tribute to former classmate Jamie Stubbs, who died in May this year when he suffered a severe asthma attack.

Jamie's parents were on hand to see the school performance and receive a cheque for £300 raised by the children, which will go to the Aair clinic.

Fundraising manager Caroline Pope, for Aair, said: "It's so nice to see the school getting behind the Stubbs family like this and we at Aair are so grateful.

"Thanks to the Daily Echo's campaign we have had a number of small donations that will keep us going for the next six months.

"We have also been lucky that one of our doctors has also come to our financial rescue."

Colin Stubbs, 43, said: "The efforts of the school have been brilliant. Jamie would have loved this. We are so chuffed they have done this."

The Stubbs family, from Studland Road, Millbrook, has hoped to release a music single in Jamie's memory to help raise funds for the Aair clinic.

Mr Stubbs added: "We still hope to release a single but we have not had much luck yet due to a lack of financial backing."

Anyone who is able to provide some financial backing to enable the single to become a reality can call Mr Stubbs on 07932 904130.

If you can help Aair, or would like to make a donation, call 023 8077 1234 or write to The Aair Charity, Medical Specialities, Level D, Centre Block, South-ampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton, SO16 6YD, making sure you mark your donation for the Asthma and Allergy Clinics.