AN appeal to raise money to create a lasting memorial to PC Andy Hocking has got off to a flying start with over £2,200 pledged within a week although the pressure is on to hit the online target within the next 24 days.

The One Last Beat Memorial will be made up of five sets of Andy's footprints created in bronze using impressions from his actual work boots. The prints will be embedded in granite with the quotation "A stranger is a friend you don't know yet" above. One boot print will bear Andy's name while the other will carry his police badge number.

The plan is to instal the five sets at five of Andy's favourite locations around his Arwenack beat. The locations for three have already been decided - in Market Street outside Marks and Spencer, at Church Corner and on Pendennis Point - while no firm decision has been made on the other two. However, to see this plan come to complete fruition will cost around £4,000.

An appeal was launched in the Packet last week with readers invited to hand donations in cash or by cheque to Falmouth Town Council's office in the Municipal Buildings. This has so far seen £838.15 handed in, which includes one donation of £500. This is on top of the £1,925 that was donated immediately following Andy's death in March.

After the Packet went to press last week, Falmouth BID manager, Richard Wilcox, one of the Falmouth town team who came up with the idea for a footprint memorial, set up a Crowfunding page and set a target of securing £3,000 worth of pledges. In less than a week, £1,375 has already been pledged - meaning 45 per cent of the target has been met.

However, if those 58 pledges are to be turned into cash, the other £1,625 needs to be raised within the next 24 days so Mr Wilcox is imploring individuals and businesses to get behind the project and dip into their pockets.

"There has been a fantastic community response so far and I am delighted that people have given money in to the town council office and pledged online," he said. "But, we just need even more people to do that so that we can reach our online target. We still have time, but we need to reach our target or we won't get any of that money automatically."

To pledge a donation go to https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/andyhocking. For those who would prefer to pay in cash or cheque, donations can still be dropped in at the town council office on the first floor of the Municipal Buildings on The Moor between 8.45am and 5pm, Monday to Thursday; until 4.45pm on Friday or to Falmouth Art Gallery on Saturdays. Cheques should be made payable to Falmouth Town Council.