A CHARITY ‘Ladies Lunch’ held at the Mere Golf Resort and Spa, in Knutsford, has raised £23,500 for disabled children in Cheshire.

The event, organised by Caudwell Children, the national charity that provides practical and emotional support to disabled children and their families, was hosted by the actor Tom Lister, best known for playing arch villain Carl King in the popular television soap opera, Emmerdale.

Mr Lister entertained the audience with classic songs by the likes of Michael Buble, before introducing the up and coming singer/songwriter Jake Shakeshaft, star of BBC One’s The Voice and one half of Joe & Jake, the 2016 UK Eurovision entrants.

Sam Walker, senior events coordinator at Caudwell Children, was delighted by the success of the event.

“It was a wonderful afternoon of fashion, fundraising and fantastic food in a spectacular location," she said.

"Our host, Tom Lister, was at his cheeky best and he had great rapport with our ladies, whilst Jake delivered a perfect set of classic covers.

“Our headline auction lot, a wonderful hot tub, donated by Manchester based Jacuzzi Spa and Bath Limited, went for a whopping £6,500 and we can’t thank those who attended enough for their overwhelming generosity.

"We can’t wait to do it all again next year!” 

Guests enjoyed a Champagne reception before browsing a number of stalls featuring local and national retailers of luxury goods; including handbags, independent clothing boutiques and beauty products.

Andy Bewicke, commercial manager at Jacuzzi Spa and Bath Ltd, said the company was pleased to have supported the event.

He said: “The hot tub that we donated included delivery and fitting and would usually retail at over £11,500. 

“We knew that our donation would give someone the opportunity to bag themselves a great deal, whilst raising a significant amount of money for the charity.

“We understand that disability affects the whole family, including the siblings of disabled children, so we thought that by offering something that every family member could enjoy would be a great fit.”

Sam also thanked the retailers for making the event such a success.

“The afternoon was a unique shopping and networking experience and we would like to thank all the retailers for making it such a special event,” she added.

You can find out more about Caudwell Children at caudwellchildren.com.