FUNDRAISERS called on famous names to help collect more than £90,000 for a cancer charity.

A Midsummer’s Night’s Ball, in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, raised £91,252 for Macmillan Cancer Support and its linked charity, Cancerbackup.

Mandy Metcalfe, Melanie Barker, Alison Illes and Claire Glatman organised the ball at Thirsk Hall on July 21.

The event was personal to two of the women involved who have firsthand experience of cancer.

Ms Metcalfe was diagnosed with cancer in 2005 and is now in remission, while Mrs Barker’s husband, Charles, recently underwent treatment for myeloma.

Both families had support from Macmillan Cancer Support and Cancerbackup.

The group decided to hold the charity ball as a thank you for the help they received.

Photographer Mary McCartney donated a framed signed photograph, which was auctioned on the night, and sculptor Rowan Gillespie gave his piece, Imagine, which was sold at Christies for more than £20,000.

Macmillan Cancer Support and Cancerbackup recently merged to provide a dedicated support service for cancer sufferers.

*Pictured with Jill Campbell are, from left, Melanie Barker, Claire Glatman, Mandy Metcalfe and Alison Illes.