Fundraising target of £10,000 reached for Samantha Eastwood's funeral

A fundraising appeal, which was set up to help pay for the funeral of a hospital midwife, has reached its £10,000 target.

The body of Samantha Eastwood was found in a rural area near Caverswall in Staffordshire, on Saturday, following an intensive police search, eight days after her disappearance.

32-year-old Michael Stirling, appeared before magistrates on Mondaycharged with her murder.

Samantha Eastwood was a midwife at Royal Stoke hospital for six years Credit: ITV News Central/Mark Gough

Miss Eastwood's extended NHS family and members of the public were invited to give her "the send-off she deserves" with the launching of a gofundme appeal page at the weekend.

Former Keele University student Miss Eastwood, 28, from Baddeley Green in Stoke-on-Trent, worked at the Royal Stoke Hospital, where staff described her as a "much-loved and valued" colleague.

Just over 24 hours since starting, the fund went through its target, as it continued to be swelled by donations from the many hundreds of people touched by her death.