The Pied Piper Appeal has taken its Christmas raffle online - and it is set to be the biggest to date.

Businesses from across Gloucester have donated to the 100 prizes with the top prize £500 donated by Aaron Court and Dan Slater of the Blue Bamboo bar at Gloucester Docks.

And there have been donations from further afield with prizes from Roger Federer, Real Madrid, Kate Moss and David Walliams.

Pied Piper aims to help sick children and their families in Gloucester and with charities' fundraising efforts hit by the coronavirus, organiser Tony Bowden is eyeing an ambitious target.

Mr Bowden is a director of Smart Communications who have helped create the online raffle at piedpiperappeal.co.uk with tickets priced £2.50 or five for £10.

He said: "I am just continuing an event started by Freeman Events Partners a couple of years ago where the festive raffle raised £10,000 for the charity. So that's our target.

"Buying online will be the most convenient, hygenic and easiest way to get tickets and enter the draw, although we will have some physical ticket booklets out and about with companies, at the charity's shops and in the office at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital."

The draw will take place on Thursday, December 18 at noon and will be broadcast on Facebook Live from Blue Bamboo.

Pied Piper has pledged support for a sensory building programme at St Rose's School in Stroud, a mobile unit to visit and connect with children while sport is on hold at Goals Beyond Grass, urgent renovation works to the playground at the Ridge Academy in Cheltenham for children with social and emotional needs, further funding for the Chamwell Centre sensory play areas and the music centre development in Gloucester's King's Walk.

Special Wish holidays for children with life-limiting illness and their families to make memories have been booked with travel partner the Co-operative for 2021 to a variety of destinations in the hope that travel will be possible.