A LANCASHIRE Evening Telegraph reader has helped make history by leaving the first donation for the Magic Eye Appeal on-line.

It is the first time a reader in Britain has been able to donate to charity via a newspaper website owned by Newsquest, the company which owns the Lancashire Evening Telegraph.

The website is the first in the Newsquest group to set up a link with a charity, which means readers can donate directly to the appeal when they log on.

The £40 donation was left this week, but many more warm-hearted surfers are expected to follow suit, as we move closer to the £200,000 target needed to buy the special scanner which will improve diagnosis of stomach and oesophageal cancers, thus helping to save lives across East Lancashire.

Web site editor Craig McGinty said: "We are the first in the company to do donations for charity online.

"We are linking in with the financial department of Magic Eye and giving people across the globe a chance to donate to Magic Eye.

"It is a very simple process to donate and only takes a couple of minutes."

All you have to do to leave a donation is to click on the Magic Eye logo on the home page. Once through to the site, click on the 'donate to our appeal online' button.

Then simply select the donation amount you want from £5 up to £100. If you cannot see the donation amount you would like, simply select more than one amount to make it up to the amount needed.

Craig said: "The site is completely secure, although you do have to register to leave a donation. The donations are then passed on to the Magic Eye financial office in complete confidence."