REGULARS at a village pub have raised £1,000 for charity.

Frequent visitors of The Swan at Kingston, in Kingston St Mary, raised the money for Children's Hospice South West through their Christmas raffle.

The raffle has taken place for many years, organised by nearby resident Laurence Underhill, who took it upon himself to convince people to donate prizes.

Chairman of the Kingston St Mary Children's Hospice South West Friends Group, said: "This year there were so many that it looked like everyone who brought a ticket would win a prize."

The prizes included tickets to Somerset Cricket Club, Tottenham football tickets, toys, and alcohol.

Carol and Andy Waters, interim managers at The Swan said they were delighted to be involved in supporting such a worthwhile charity.

The pair said it was only the second time such a large amount had been raised.

Mrs Waters said: "we want to thank all the people who donated the prizes and those who bought tickets, and especially Laurence who worked so tirelessly to make it such a success.

The generosity of the people of Kingston St Mary is well known to the children's charity, as they have been supporting CHSW since it was set up 28 years ago.

In total £245,000 has been raised and the group is hoping to surpass £250,000 this year.

The next event will be a Shrove Tuesday pancake lunch on February 25.

For more details on this event or others, contact the chairman on 01823 451112.