The Strathbogie Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) is nearing its first $1million, 25 weeks after the January disaster, boosted by the recent official handover of a cheque for $190,000 to bring fresh hope to restoring fire-ravaged areas following the Longwood fires.

Affected residents of the Strathbogie and Mitchell Shires will receive the almost $200,000 of proceeds from the Tones and I concert held on Saturday 7 March at the Longwood Recreational Reserve.

The community-run concert was spearheaded by a local campaign “Bring Tones and I to Longwood”, which caught the global star’s attention and attracted 5000 attendees to the Longwood oval to support their friends, families, and strangers on their road to recovery after the devastating fires.

The efforts of the volunteer committee, Longwood Football Netball Club, the CFA, and the $25,000 state government grant secured by Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland meant that the proceeds of the concert (including $25,000 from all ticket sales) were available to be donated.

SDRF Community Advisory Committee member Alister Purbrick said the committee was extremely grateful for the 'huge' donation, which has come at a vital time.

“The long road to recovery feels even longer at this time of year, with the cold and wet weather making being out of home, without one’s creature comforts, particularly confronting,” Mr Purbrick said.

“The Fund has already distributed over $250,000 to those in our communities who need it, and the $190,000 donation from the concert has meant we are in a really strong position to have a much greater impact with how we help.”

As part of the volunteer committee with deep connections to the region, Mr Purbrick said donations would continue to help the SDRF stay focused in providing some relief where it mattered most.

"We've been working with specially-formed community recovery committees to identify key areas of need - restoration of community halls, repairs to private infrastructure, and social initiatives that support the wellbeing of fire-affected residents across both shires.

"Although we can't cover the full cost of what these communities need to rebuild, we can offer hope - by staying on the ground, representing them, continuing to seek donations, and then providing grants to support community-agreed priority projects."

Having received nearly $1million thanks to the donations of businesses and private individuals across Australia, the Fund is urging people to contribute to help it reach that target within six months after the fires.

For more information on the SDRF, visit strathbogiedisasterrelief.com