A CHEQUE of £1000 was presented to Rowcroft this week at Rendells estate agents, from funds raised by the Newton Abbot Christmas Show Society.

The money was raised through a dinner and an auction, held at Dainton Park, Ipplepen. Lots included tickets to the Devon County Show, a bottle of scotch, 40 bales of hay, bird tables from Southern Timber and a Riverford Farm vegetable box. But the star lot of the evening was a rugby ball, signed by the Exeter Chiefs, fetching £400 alone.

Show secretary Jonathan Bell said: ‘All in all, the evening was really well supported, a lot of people dug deep and bid hard, all for an exceptional charity, Rowcroft.

‘Before everything started, we all sat down together and thought that if we made 500 quid, we’d have a good job. Well, we almost doubled it and then the show topped it up to £1,000, but not by much. It was a very good evening.

Jonathan Hill, Rowcroft’s financial director, said: ‘Rowcroft is overwhelmed. It was a huge amount of money, it’ll make a big difference to our charity.

We have over 2000 patients a year and 80 per cent of our money comes from donations so funds like this are really important to us.’