Fundraising drive in memory of De Montfort University lecturer Andy Plaice is halfway to hitting its target figure

An appeal launched in the memory of an inspirational De Montfort University lecturer is halfway to hitting its target figure after just two days.

Maria Thompson aims to raise £1,325 in tribute to her husband Andy Plaice, who died on February 18 after a 10-month battle with a rare form of brain cancer.

Her JustGiving page currently stands at £685. The money will go to Cransley Hospice, in Kettering, which cared for Andy in his final weeks.

Staff and students alike have been paying tribute to the “amazing, funny and kind” journalism lecturer, who edited the Melton Times and the Rutland Times before switching careers to teach journalism at DMU.

In a post on the JustGiving page, Maria paid tribute to the “amazing doctors, nurses and staff” at the hospice, who “supported Andy, myself and our two boys to live every moment we had left together and it’s unthinkable to consider how we would have got through it without them.”

Maria, who worked alongside Andy at both the Melton Times and the journalism department at DMU, added: “Please give what ever you can in Andy’s memory so other families facing the same terrible circumstances receive the same love and care we did.”

You can make a donation in Andy’s memory here.