A CHRISTMAS concert held at Chard's Holyrood Academy has raised £350.32 for Winston's Wish, a childhood bereavement charity.
The event, held on Friday, December 17, was organised by Bethany Goodman, a freelance vocalist and actor from Gloucestershire who has lived in Chard for five years.
Chard's Charity Christmas Concert saw performances from Holyrood Academy's choir, Redstart Choir, Crewners Harmony Choir, local poet Lynsey Arscott, soloist Ava Larcombe, and Bethany.
There were also nine Christmas stalls, a raffle with gifts worth a total of £300 donated by local businesses, and bottles of mulled wine and mince pies provided by local supermarkets.
Bethany, 27, had the idea to put on the event in September, shortly after she produced her one-woman Brontë show, which visited Chard on its tour.
She has fundraised for Winston's Wish since she was a teenager.
She said: "I love doing events for charity and finding ways to connect the community and give opportunities for local businesses to sell their goods.
"The standard of talent was so high all evening and festive cheer was most certainly felt.
"Our raffle was a great hit too! We had over £300 worth of gifts donated from local businesses in and around Chard.
"As well as the raffle donations, we had 18 bottles of mulled wine and 116 mince pies donated from local supermarkets."
She added: "This event was exactly what I set it out to be.
"The support mentally, financially and physically from all the community and local businesses was completely mind-blowing and I can’t wait to run another next year!"
Local music enthusiasts paid £5 for entry (or £2 for under 10s).
This, alongside the raffle and other donations, raised a total of £350.32 for Winston's Wish.
The charity supports bereaved children, young people and their families, and it leads the way in providing specialist child bereavement support services in the UK.
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Its services include one-off and ongoing bereavement support, online resources, specialist publications, and training for professionals.
It became the UK's first childhood bereavement charity when it was founded in 1992.
Bethany said: "This will do wonders for the children under their protection.
"From the bottom of my heart - thank you to everyone who made last night such a success.
"Merry Christmas!"
Did you attend Chard's Charity Christmas Concert? See if you can spot yourself in our photos...
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