REGULARS and business have helped a Willington pub raise almost £1,000 for charity.

The Lion and Unicorn in Commercial Street collected £906 for the British Heart Foundation thanks to various events and donations.

The charity was chosen after the death of pub regular Joe Bolam of heart disease and his friends took part in a sponsored leg wax, sponsored head shave, fancy dress day and a darts tournament.

Arthur Goldsborough, 44, won the Joe Bolam Memorial Darts Trophy. The pub yesterday handed over the cheque to Fiona Turner, regional manager of the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

She said: "We are absolutely delighted. The community has really rallied round to raise such a large amount of money."

Landlord Kevin Hill said: "We want to thank local businesses for their donations. It's a lot of money for a small pub to raise but the local people round here are particularly good for anything to do with charity."