THE people of Thornbury are fantastic. That's official. Individuals and businesses have responded in their droves to the Gazette's Stump up for The Pump campaign and solved Thornbury in Bloom's financial crisis in JUST ONE WEEK.

Not only has the £500 been raised, largely in individual donations of £5 but several Thornbury companies have offered to sponsor the pump for years to come.

"We are absolutely delighted," said Thornbury's town clerk Judith Payne, who is also voluntary chairman of the Thornbury in Bloom committee.

"The response has been overwhelming," she said yesterday. "We are thrilled to know that the pump will once again be the centrepiece of our floral displays this year and we simply cannot thank everyone enough for their tremendous generosity."

The call for funds to buy plants for the town's pump came last week after Oldbury power plant bosses pulled their sponsorship plug.

After years of donating £500 to cover the cost of maintaining the pump's magnificent floral displays British Nuclear Fuels said they would be redirecting their community cash to support more welfare and socio-economic projects.

This left the Thornbury in Bloom committee in a state of crisis as the only funding they receive is £750 from the town council. The rest they have to raise themselves and they feared they would not be able to do that in time for this year's displays which have to be planted almost immediately.

But thanks to the generosity of the people of the town not only have the displays been saved but the committee is now hopeful they may even be extended.

Judith Payne said the committee had not met since the money had been raised but at their meeting tonight they would be deciding exactly what to do with it.