Residents across the county are being urged to help with one last push to raise the final £1.5m needed for the Oxford Children's Hospital Campaign.

Graham Brogden, the appeal's new head of community fundraising, is whipping up support for a final year of cash collecting before the building opens in 2007.

He is pleading with everyone to get involved -- by joining the children's hospital lottery, setting up a regular standing order donation or organising their own fundraising event.

He said: "We're nearly there, because at the end of the day there's just £1.5m to raise.

"There are 600,000 people across Oxfordshire. If everyone did a little it would all mount up. If just 125,000 people gave £1 a month we'd achieve the target."

The Oxford Children's Hospital Campaign was launched in 2002 to raise £15m towards the £20m, 106-bed, unit dedicated to the care and treatment of children currently cared for at different sites across Oxford.

Based at the John Radcliffe Hospital site in Headington, the building will be tailor-made for 65,000 young patients and their families every year.

So far, the £2.5m community campaign has helped raise £1m of the total, and another £6.9m has been collected through major pledges and donations from charitable trusts and businesses.

Mr Brogden said: "I'd like to give a big thank-you to everyone who has already helped with the campaign.

"They've all helped to ensure our doctors and nurses will soon be able to provide even better care than they do now."

Mr Brogden joined the appeal team in October -- keen to put his professional fundraising skills to use.

He said: "You get a real buzz out of fundraising because you know you're getting something good out of it -- as corny as that sounds. Drumming up community support is just as rewarding.

"My first fundraising job was with Cancer Research UK, then I moved to the NSPCC, which helps children.

"The Oxford Children's Hospital Campaign seemed like a natural progression.

"Helping children that aren't doing too good because of ill health is such a worthy cause."

"We will raise the last £1.5m by the end of next year. We just have to think about who we are doing this for."

Anyone who would like to join the Oxford Children's Hospital Campaign lottery will find an information leaflet in the Oxford Mail in the next couple days.

Other fundraising ideas and ways to help are listed on the appeal website at www.chox.org.uk