COFFERS are swelling at the Art Fund with donations to secure the Staffordshire Hoard for the Midlands reaching £1.2million this week.

Monies promised are thought to take the total much higher, but a spokesman managing the fund would not be drawn on current pledge amounts, telling the Herald that "until cash is given, we cannot take it for granted".

Pledged cash includes £20,000 from Tamworth Borough Council, earmarked from next year's budget at a meeting of the full council.

However, local cabinet members meet next week to look at the possibility of releasing the money sooner than that.

Of the total amount collected by the Art Fund, around £500,000 has come from members of the public.

Donations have come from as far afield as the U.S. and Japan, but about one-third of donors are from the West Midlands area.

The new total includes a £50,000 anonymous donation handed to the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Stoke-on-Trent on the eve of its current exhibition of Hoard artefacts.

Commenting on the amount raised, the Art Fund's director, Stephen Deuchar, said: "This is really excellent news, furthering our conviction that if the campaign continues to gather steam, we still can make the £3.3million needed by April 17.

"However, there is much work to be done and we need as many public donations as possible – so if you've been inspired by the hoard but haven't yet donated, now is the time."

Seven weeks into the campaign, a council spokesman told us that the authority hoped to reach agreement next week on releasing the £20,000 pledged to the fund. Tony Goodwin, deputy chief executive of Tamworth Borough Council, said: "The council is excited about opportunities around the hoard, and we are committed to securing it for the Midlands.

"At next Wednesday's meeting, the cabinet will be discussing the possibility of releasing the £20,000 as soon as possible."

Working with the Staffordshire Hoard Partnership, the Art Fund is leading the campaign to raise the £3.3million needed to secure the Anglo-Saxon gold. All the money must be raised by April 17.

To donate, visit www.artfund.org/hoard or call 0844 415 4004.