AN appeal to raise £500,000 for a new snow leopard enclosure at Marwell Zoo near Winchester has moved a step nearer thanks to runners from an Eastleigh club.

The top tourist attraction needs to raise the cash to replace the 30-year-old enclosure the park's three snow leopards currently live in with a brand new state-of-the-art facility.

As well as making the big cats feel more at home, the design for the modern enclosure will also make viewing these endangered animals far easier for visitors.

It has been designed to simulate a Himalayan ravine with rocky outcrops, and includes a waterfall, stream and alpine meadow. Visitors will get clear views into the enclosure from traditional mountain huts.

But before building work can get under way, there's the small issue of finding the half-million pounds needed to fund the project.

Most of this sum has already been promised by the Marwell Preservation Trust and the Marwell Zoological Society, however a £75,000 shortfall was still left for which an appeal under the slogan "Put a paw in your pocket and pull out a pound", was launched earlier this year.

Now bosses at the park say they have almost reached their target, helped on their way by a substantial donation from the members of Eastleigh Running Club following their annual Marwell 10k run.

Noel O'Dowd, race director, presented a cheque for £4,500 to Marwell appeal chiefs following the popular road race.

The annual event, was held in April and attracted 1,000 runners.

Lynne Stafford, acting director of Marwell Zoo, said: "We are more than grateful to Eastleigh Running Club for this fantastic boost to the appeal and for the superb way they organise the race each year."

A spokeswoman for the park, internationally renowned for its work to save endangered species, said work is now due to start on the enclosure within the next few weeks.