A Twickenham newsagents has raised nearly £1000 in just two days in an appeal to help India in it's fight against the second wave of the pandemic.

Meet and Deep Newsagents on Hampton road is renowned for the big hearts of the Patel family who own and run it, so it was no surprise to its customers that they set up a justgiving page to try and help.

The idea actually came from one customer, who brought in a five pound note and gave it to Deepen Patel presuming that he would know where to send it.

Deepen said: "It started with a customer who is 94.

"He gave me a fiver to send to India because he knew we do a lot of charity work in the shop."

Deepen said he knew he wanted to do something to help but has been amazed by how quickly they have shot towards their goal.

"I didn't think we'd make it to £1000!

"Lots of people have been vey generous."

Today India broke its own record for the largest number of confirmed cases in any one day in the world during the pandemic – just one day after it became the first country to register more than 400,000 new cases in a 24-hour period.

The Patel family is Indian but Deepen said luckily none of their relatives in India live in Covid hotspots.

The funds raised are going to the London Swaminarayan Temple in Neasden.

The temple is part of a network of temples in India which have opened a hospital with thousands of beds and are supplying oxygen tanks, food for families, and basic hygiene supplies.

Deepen said: "Whenever we do something we do it through them because we know the money goes to the right people.

"Hospitals are oversubscribed in India and a lot of them charge – there are no benefits or furlough.

"If there is a lockdown you can't feed your family."

The Patels said they will keep the fund open indefinitely.

You can donate at the shop's justgiving page here[.b]