Chai Cancer Care this week raised more than £3 million in 36 hours, illustrating how communal charities are learning to maximise the potential of online appeals.

Its “Big Campaign” reached its £1.5 million target in six hours. In the peak period, 35 donations per minute were received and the top hourly figure was £310,000.

In total, 13,000 donations were collected by 359 “team captains”. A group of sponsors matched all the early donations.

As well as UK donors, there were contributions from countries as far afield as Australia and Hong Kong. The largest individual donation was £85,000.

Chai chairman Louise Hager likened watching the money flood in to “being at the centre of a huge communal hug.

“The past eight months have been particularly difficult for cancer patients and their loved ones. The Big Campaign will enable us to support and care for those who, in many cases, have been forgotten during the pandemic.”

Chai receives no statutory funding, relying on donations and fundraising to meet its £3.5 million annual budget. During the Covid crisis, its income has plunged by 40 percent due to postponed and cancelled events.

At the same time, demand for counselling has risen by 37 per cent.

Those involved in the fundraising drive included the family of five-year-old Joshua Hirshler, who was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour earlier this year. The Hirshlers helped to bring in £40,000.

Joshua was admitted to Great Ormond Street Hospital after his diagnosis, receiving radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

But he lost all his motor function and speech after developing posterior fossa syndrome.

Chai provided his parents and older sister Rebecca with online counselling and Joshua was able to access music therapy remotely from his bed.

Yitz Bude from Charity Extra, the online fundraising platform used by Chai, said the “generosity on display was unparalleled and shows how central Chai is to so many in the community”.