Banburyshire charity ball raises £8,600

From the left, some of the Middleton Cheney Charity Ball committee members are Jane Pearson, Rebecca Casey, Liz Robinson, Bev Oliver and Nicola Clifton at the event

Proceeds from the annual event, held in September, will be split equally between Adderbury’s Katharine House Hospice and Cancer Research UK.

As well as the gala ball, organisers also staged an afternoon tea and teddy bear’s picnic and a children’s disco to enable as many villagers as possible to take advantage of the magnificent marquee which was erected in the grounds of Middleton Cheney Primary Academy.

Chair of the organising committee Rebecca Casey said: "We are thrilled to have raised such a wonderful amount for these charities. Cancer has touched the lives of everyone on the committee and so many more people in the community and we cannot thank enough everyone who donated prizes, sponsorship or simply bought a raffle ticket.

"We would like to pay tribute to all those who helped make this event happen, but there are simply too many to mention. It just shows how kind and generous people can be," she said.