THE Stokesley and District Marie Curie Fundraising Group ended 2019 with a successful event which raised an impressive £2,250 for the charity.

The ‘Snowflakes and Jingle Bells’ flower demonstration at Hutton Rudby Village Hall saw demonstrator Val Guest, from Hurworth, inspire the audience with her stunning winter-themed designs, with the arrangements then included in a charity raffle.

A spokesman for the fundraising group said: "This December’s flower event was a brilliant way to end the year especially as the guests enjoyed a glass of fizz and festive bites on arrival, enabling them to chat and socialise before being entertained by Val with her lovely arrangements."

The 11-member fundraising group all live in and around the Stokesley area and have been volunteering for more than a decade.

Jean Noble, group chair, said she would like to publicly thank the people of Stokesley whose generosity has enabled them to raise thousands of pounds for Marie Curie over the years.

The money raised at their latest event is equivalent to more than 112 in home nursing hours of care by Marie Curie locally.

The next event the group have planned is their first Firewalk - walking across hot coals - and anybody who wants to give it a go can email the group at stokesley.mariecurie@gmail.com. The event will be at Stokesley Sports Club on March 21, £25 registration fee, minimum sponsorship £150.