COMMENT: Feeling blue? Here are a million reasons to cheer you

And not only those from the city, but the whole of south-east Hampshire too.

For thanks to your generosity, your efforts will soon be saving lives.

The family of Tom Prince has handed over £1m raised by you specifically to help prevent others, like Tom, dying from a rare form of cancer.

There were some people 14 years ago when the Tom Prince Cancer Trust was formed by his parents Clinton and Adele, who admired the gesture but doubted the family’s staying power. For £1m then was, and today still is, an awful lot of money.

But Clinton and Adele, backed tirelessly by Tom’s sister Emma, were in it for the long haul.

Their dignity, unflinching enthusiasm and sheer bloody-mindedness to reach that huge target has been an object lesson in how to run a fundraising campaign.

We would like to think we here at The News also played a small part when, in conjunction with the family, we launched what became something of a tradition – the annual Blue Day.

The first was held the day before the FA Cup semi-final in 2008. There was another held the day before the final which, who will ever forget, Pompey won.

Then it moved to the day before Pompey’s final home game of the season and saw hundreds of people dress in blue or take part in blue-related activities for the charity.

Those days will live long in the memory of everyone who took part.

Of course, nothing can ever replace a son or brother, especially one taken on the eve of his 16th birthday.

But what the Princes have achieved is remarkable and if in years to come their dedication saves just one life, it will all have been worthwhile.

But we suspect the research that £1m will pay for will go a lot further than that.