PUB customers dug deep into their pockets to raise money for terminally-ill children.

Punters partying at The Kingfisher Pub in Spennymoor donated money as they entered the venue on New Year's Eve and raised £1,000 for the Sergeant Cancer Care for Children at The Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle.

Pub owners Peter and Marian Graham said they wanted to raise money for a children's charity.

They chose the Sergeant Cancer Care unit after speaking to cleaner Mary Taylor, whose 19-year-old son Shaun was treated at the hospital.

Sadly Shaun lost his battle against leukemia in 1997 but Mrs Taylor, 48, from Spennymoor, said she could not thank the unit enough for its support.

She said: "It is a great charity. They help the people who definitely need it. They help the children and also the families and help with practical needs as well as emotional needs."

She said Shaun would have been proud of the money raised because it was his favourite charity.

Mrs Graham said: "We just thought it was a good charity to support.

"It is a nice idea to do something like that for the families. We held a raffle and some of the customers just donated money without having a raffle ticket. The majority of the customers were more than willing to give money. They were very generous."

Mrs Taylor and her nine-year-old daughter Caroline accompanied Maureen Hitcham from the unit to collect the money from the pub last week.

Mrs Hitcham, who is a social worker, said: "I think it is wonderful to remember us at the unit so long after Shaun's death. It is a tremendous tribute to him."