UPDATE: More than three thousand individual donations have now been made with the total raised exceeding £40,000.
The charity page for a father-of-three who was killed in a road traffic accident has been besieged by thousands of donations.
The cyclist, named on Sunday as Christian Smith, was riding towards Whitstable, Kent on a charity ride, when he came into collision with a blue Peugeot 206 on the A2990 Old Thanet Way, near Chestfield, at around 4am on March 22.
The 38-year-old from Boughton Aluph was riding to raise money for the charity MIND, which helps people with mental health problems.
After news of his death spread on social media, donations to his JustGiving page shot up from £1,300 on Sunday morning to more than £20,000 by 6pm. Many left tributes. One read: "What a massive, unfathomable loss. We are all struggling to make some sense of it, and there isn’t any. RIP Christian."
JustGiving Page Of Christian Smith, Charity Cyclist Killed In Accident, Receives Thousands Of Donations
His family said in a statement: "Christian Smith, of Boughton Aulph in Kent, was killed in the early hours of Saturday morning, while cycling to raise money for the MIND charity.”Christian leaves a loving wife and three children."
The 18-year-old female driver of the Peugeot, from the Herne Bay area, was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and causing death by dangerous driving. She has been released on police bail pending further inquiries until July 26.
PC Jamie Woodhams, of the Kent Police Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: "We are continuing to appeal for witnesses to come forward. In particular, we would like to speak to anybody who saw the Peugeot travelling along the road prior to the collision."