A RANGE of designer wedding dresses worth thousands of pounds have been sold for charity.

YAP Bridal Boutique in Newcastle donated the dresses, that were sold to raise money for Cancer Research UK at the charity’s Durham City today (Sunday, March 8).

Joanne Stott, owner of YAP (You Are Precious), donated the dresses because her mother Mary Laing died of pancreatic cancer, just 17 months after her father, Johnny Laing, died of a heart attack.

Mrs Stott, from Birtley, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham, has raise money for various charities in their memory, including by trekking across the Sahara desert.

Amanda Mann, relief manager at the Durham shop, said: “We can’t thank Joanne enough for the donation of these dresses.

“The dresses are absolutely gorgeous and there is something in all shapes and sizes.”