Donations in the bag for local Age Concern charity

A fundraising event held in honour of Age Concern Central Lancashire has seen women from across the area donate a total of 125 handbags and 221 pieces of jewellery and accessories to the cause.

The ladies night, the second of its type, was held at the Mundo Tapas restaurant in the Guild Hall in Preston, and raised £817 for the charity.

Organised by RBS employees Sadie Sharples and Mandy Coupe, the event  was attended by 87 women from the local area. The money raised was amassed from ticket sales for the evening along with a raffle.

As part of the event all women attending the evening were asked to bring along with them a handbag they no longer use to donate for sale in the charity’s Preston store.

Established in 1981, Age Concern Central Lancashire provides a wide range of quality services for older people within the boundaries of Central Lancashire to meet the needs identified by older people and their carers. The charity aims to promote the well-being of older people and help make life a more fulfilling and enjoyable experience.

Sadie Sharples, relationship manager at The Royal Bank of Scotland said: “When Mandy and I had the idea of holding a ladies night in aid of our local Age Concern charity we knew that we wanted to do something a little different.

"When speaking with the team at Central Lancashire Age Concern they informed us that handbags sell like hot cakes in their local charity shops but that they were often in short supply. That is when we had the idea to request that as part of the evening everyone attending should donate a handbag that they no longer use to help raise money for the cause." Linda Chivers, chief executive at Age Concern Central Lancashire added: “The money raised will go a long way to help support the work we do in Central Lancashire and to benefit the charity. Our stores generate a great proportion of our income and the bag donations were a brilliant idea."