A fundraiser to drum up funds to build a new care home for people living with neurological conditions raised more than €800,000 for the cause on Friday night.

The €801,616 raised by people who donated to Xarabank fundraiser will be used to help create a new Dar Bjorn, which is named after ALS campaigner Bjorn Formosa. 

Speaking just after the fundraising total was revealed, an emotional Mr Formosa thanked all those who had contributed. 

“We took another step forward but the important thing is that we never give up. This project must happen,” he told Xarabank’s audience. 

In a video posted to Facebook shortly afterwards, Xarabank presenter Peppi Azzopardi singled out the generosity of a former Dar Bjorn resident who had left €5,000 in his will to be used to help build a second Dar Bjorn. 

Mr Formosa, who has campaigned tirelessly to raise awareness around ALS since he was diagnosed with it in 2015 aged 28, has already built a care home in Qormi. 

That home is however already full, prompting him and his wife Maria to campaign for a second care facility. 

They now hope to have a second Dar Bjorn up and running by the end of 2020.