The proceeds from the event, which included a special charity auction, have been donated to the Donna Louise Trust, an organisation established in 1999 to meet the need for a hospice service for children in Staffordshire and South Cheshire. The hospice provides respite and end of life care for children with life threatening conditions.

David Riley, managing director at a&b, commented: "We wanted to mark our 18th anniversary as a business in a special way and decided that using it to support such an important local cause would be ideal. The work done by The Donna Louise Trust is so important to so many families across the region. We feel honoured to be able to donate this money to the hospice."

a&b has adopted the organisation as its nominated charity as part of a wider Corporate Social Responsibility plan launched earlier this year.

Sylvia Pearl from the Donna Louise Trust, commented: "We'd like to thank a&b and all those who attended the event for helping to raise such an amazing sum of money. The funds raised by charity events such as this mean we are able to help more children and their families, more of the time."

This amount has now been added to our running total, which means that as at 1.1.09, a&b have raised at total of £12,207!

To find out more about The Donna Louise Trust, visit www.donnalouisetrust.org