A charity dinner held at a Romsey pub has raised more than £13,000 for children affected by the war in Ukraine.

The event, which took place at the Cromwell Arms on Saturday, September 10, was attended by some 140 people, with all proceeds going to UNICEF. 

Organisers said they considered cancelling the evening due to the sad news of Her Majesty The Queen's death but decided to continue as it was felt she would have wanted fundraising events to go ahead as planned.

The evening started with a minute’s silence, followed by a toast to Her late Majesty. The audience was then addressed by two Ukrainian ladies who were forced to leave the war-torn country in March with their young children, and have since been slowly adapting to life in Romsey.

Both ladies gave "harrowing" first hand accounts of the war.

Just shy of 40 prizes, which were donated by local businesses, were up for grabs in the raffle. 

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There was also an auction for various prizes which ranged from holidays to the Alps and the Algarve, to a night in the Shard and a Spa Day at the Chewton Glen Hotel.

The event was arranged and organised by Caroline Caffyn along with the support of close friends. Caroline came up with the idea in March and dedicated an "enormous" amount of time and energy to ensure the event was a success.

Her husband, Mike, said: "Victoria Griffiths spent many hours over the summer contacting local businesses to donate raffle prizes and Emma and James Smith began preparations on the Friday by spending the afternoon blowing up balloons for the balloon arch.

"Sean Husband was the toastmaster and did an amazing job with the auction during the evening, especially encouraging further bids when his wife, Abbie, was winning the bidding.

"As Caroline said in her introduction, there is less media coverage of the war than there was in March and April, but as the war continues there is still a desperate need to provide aid for the children in Ukraine who remain in crisis. This need will continue for a long time.

"Raising such a large amount was fantastic, and a memorable evening was had by all who attended."

To add a donation, visit: justgiving.com/fundraising/caroline-caffyn2