Staffordshire Hoard campaign reaches £1m mark

The hoard could be split up and sold privately if the target is not reached

The campaign to keep the Staffordshire Hoard in the West Midlands has reached the £1m mark.

The appeal fund now stands at £1,080,000, with almost half of that coming from members of the public.

Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent City Councils are seeking to jointly acquire the Hoard, which comprises over 1,500 artefacts valued at £3.3m.

Birmingham councillor Martin Mullaney said: "The Hoard has sparked massive interest across the world."

Fundraisers have to raise the money by 17 April, or the collection may be split up and sold to private collectors.

The gold Anglo-Saxon artefacts were found in a field, near Lichfield.

If the appeal is successful, the hoard would be jointly acquired by both the Birmingham Museum and the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent.