Updated:
€668,217 were raised during an open day and fund-raising marathon at Dar tal-Providenza in Siggiewi throughout New Year's Day, beating last year's record.
The announcement, made after midnight, was greeted with jubilation by volunteers at the home and at the studios of RTK, which organised the open day and fund-raising campaign for the home.
Events started in the morning with Mass and a varied entertainment programme, as well as tours of the Home.
The number of visitors, as well as phoned-in donations, picked up in the afternoon and evening. The President, the Archbishop and the political leaders were among those who called.
The Prime Minister made a donation of €24,818 raised during ticket sales for the recent Concerto di Natale at the Mediterranean Conference Centre.
President George Abela said profits from this month's Citrus Festival would be donated to Dar tal-Providenza.
Finance Minister Tonio Fenech presented €25,000 from the Lotteries Good Causes Fund.
Parish priests also called at the home to make their donations as did the Imam of the Muslim Community.
Various items were auctioned including a unique wooden sculpture by the late Anton Agius, several paintings, a football shirt from the film Escape to Victory signed by many of the protagonists as well as signed photos from this year’s memorable concerts like Joseph Calleja, Gigi d’Alessio and others. Sports items include shirts signed by Inzaghi, Baggio, Beckenbauer, Zidane, Torres and others as well as signed footballs by the England National Team, Italy’s 1982 World Cup winning team and Serie A team Parma.
Dar tal-Providenza, the residential home for the handicapped, needs €13,000 to operate every day, or €3.5 million per year. It made a loss of just under €500,000 last year.
€617,585 were raised at last year's Open Day, setting a record at the time.
The home was set up by Mgr Mikiel Azzopardi, the centenary of whose birth is being celebrated this year. He launched the project with a donation of just £100.
Fr Martin Micallef, the current director of the home, said works done at the home last year included a renovation of the main courtyard, the acquisition of a van with wheelchair access for 20 people and upgrading of the trolley rooms.