Month-long charity drive raises money for Help for Heroes

A shop owner has managed to raise nearly £500 for Help for Heroes thanks to a month-long charity initiative.

Jan Thorpe was delighted after her pledge to donate £1 for every fancy dress costume she hired out collected £470.88, the Peterlee Mail reports.

The 56-year-old also organised a Christmas raffle and far exceeded her goal of between £200 and £300, adding that she was "over the moon" with how the whole endeavour had gone.

Ms Thorpe stated she would not hesitate to raise money for such a great charity in the future, adding: "I just want to thank all of my customers and members of the public for supporting the cause."

The lady decided to get involved in raising funds after a close family friend was killed in Afghanistan.

It comes after four men crossed the English Channel on sea scooters to collect money for the organisation and so far they have received over £1170.

Posted by Trevor Smith