Churchgoers in Guiseley are showing the true meaning of Christmas by giving the gift of life to some of the poorest people in the world.

Members of Guiseley Baptist Church are giving more than £15,000 for a hospital in Chad – a donation which organisers say will save hundreds of lives.

The money was raised with a Christmas appeal where those taking part gave £1 for every £1 they spent on presents.

The appeal for the Guinebor II Hospital was so successful that it raised more than three times the original target, and it is hoped it might be extended to the wider community this year.

The money was raised to buy vital equipment for the hospital, which officially opened in January and which is run by Mark and Adrea Hotchikin, from Wakefield.

It will go towards large gel batteries to help power the air conditioning unit to keep medicines cool, a verandah to give shelter to the relatives who come to care for patients during their stay, and an X-ray department.

Graham Ensor, one of the ministers at Guiseley Baptist Church said: “I guess it was a way of trying to redress the consumerism of Western society. Instead of just consuming more we actually thought about those who had nothing.

“£15,000 would not really make a difference here but in places like Chad literally hundreds of lives will be saved this year because of it.”

He said the appeal had struck a chord with people who were concerned about the commercialisation of Christmas and who had realised that a relatively small amount of money could make a significant difference to people’s lives.

He said they were delighted with the amount raised. “It is fantastic – and it just shows you how generous people are.”

Chad is a desperately poor country where life expectancy is 51, where one in five children under the age of five will die, and where the risk of dying in childbirth is one in nine.

The church presented a cheque for £15,200 to Rebecca North, who will be working at the new hospital.