THE veteran behind a memorial to those who suffered in Hull's Blitz is calling on city businesses to pledge their support.
German bombers devastated the city in the Second World War, turning 43 per cent of it into wrecks and rubble.
More than 1,200 people were killed in the attacks.
Alan Brigham, chairman of the Hull People's Memorial, has identified at least 1,000 businesses that operated during the war and are still running today.
He said: "It's not just about the dead but the people who lived through it.
"It's the people who survived who are the ones who suffer. They're the ones who wake up with the images in their heads and the memorial has always been for them.
"Our aim is to respect the dead but also to respect the ones who lived through it, the ones who kept the death toll down and rebuilt the city afterwards and had to live with the pain."
The latest donation was £1,000 from Nippon Gohsei in Saltend.
Although money has flooded in from the public, the memorial charity has set a target of £250,000 for donations.
Business support will be vital if the tribute is to be unveiled on time on September 5 next year.
The cash will not just pay for the sculpture itself but should also fund its long-term future.
Mr Brigham has tracked down wartime businesses by comparing wartime and present-day telephone books.
He said: "What we've got to do this year is try to have a big fundraising drive to get local companies to come on board.
"There are more than 1,000 companies in Hull who were here during the bombing.
"It's just a case of cross-referencing the telephone books from the two periods."
Hull West and Hessle MP Alan Johnson visited the memorial site on Friday and gave it his backing.
Mr Brigham, who served in the RAF for eight years in the 1970s, said: "He was very much in favour of what we we're doing.
"He said he would offer his full support for the project.
"He had a good look around and he said he thought it was fantastic and a really good idea."
Visit www.hull-remembers.co.uk to make a donation or find out more.
