THOUSANDS of people turned out to Bucks Big Bash on bank holiday weekend, raising £35,864.50 for charity.

The event was held to fundraise for popular Bridgwater man Luke Buckingham, who has been diagnosed with leukaemia for the third time.

Organised by a group of his 12 close friends, the all-day bash included a charity cricket match, a band, a barbecue, hogroast and raffle with a range of donated prizes such as a signed England and Arsenal shirt and holiday cottages in France and Austria.

The cricket match was played by groups of Luke’s friends, with the GPBS team in red winning by 15 runs after they hit 138-6 in their innings, while the Luke Buckingham XI team in blue responded with 123-11.

Beginning at 1pm on Saturday, August 29, supporters arrived throughout the afternoon and evening, with the band and bar continuing until late.

Ben Kirk, Luke’s best friend, said: “It was an amazing day and really incredible to see so many people supporting Luke.

“A group of us went to Las Vegas in May and when we returned, we discovered the sad news that Luke had relapsed with leukaemia again so we decided that we had to do something.

“We started planning the big bash in early June and the event went so well.

“It helped Luke to have a restful night on Sunday and the money aspect is secondary because Luke was so happy on the day and that’s what matters.”

Luke and his wife Holly have decided to split the total raised between Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research, the Anthony Nolan Trust and ward nine at Musgrove Park Hospital.

Organiser and treasurer on the day, Dave Spilsbury, said: “We were totally blown away by the amount of cash we were counting and have received loads of praise for organising the day, but the real thank you has to go to all the people who came on the day with their generosity, whether it was being our volunteers, donating prizes or money they contributed on the day.”

Luke was overwhelmed with the support for the event.

“It goes without saying that nobody wants to follow the path I’m currently on, but the one thing that it has given me is the unique opportunity to see an event like Saturday’s and for that I feel incredibly grateful and it’s something that will stay with me for as long as I live.”

Luke’s wife Holly Buckingham agreed and said: “The amount of love in the air was overwhelming and the community spirit shown throughout the day was truly humbling.

“I just can't stop saying it – I’m utterly blown away.”