Over £4,000 was raised as the people of Pershore remembered loved ones at Christmas.

The Rotary Club’s Tree of Remembrance Appeal 2021 not only provided a chance for residents to celebrate the lives of friends and family no longer with us, but also raised £4,200 for three local charities, a 40 per cent rise on the previous year’s total.

Pershore Rotary president, Lucy Thornton, said: “We had a wonderful response to our Christmas Appeal and we are truly grateful to everyone involved.

“We can now donate £1,400 to St Richard’s Hospice, £1,400 to Acorns Children’s Hospice and a further £1,400 to our own Pershore Rotary Grants Scheme (PRoGS).”

Ms Thornton also wished to recognise the support and generosity of numerous local businesses, in particular Ken Tallis of Abbey Butchers who provided the Christmas tree in Broad Street.

Organiser of the appeal, Bob Marchant, added: “It made a big difference to be able to collect outside Asda and the Co-op once again and we had an excellent response to our Appeal notices in the Evesham Journal again this year.”