Coffee Morning at All Saints Church Hall

The aim of the event was to pay for emergency packs for patients in hospital to make their stay more comfortable - the packs include toothbrush and paste, soap, tissues and a comb.

Approximately 50 visitors attended the coffee morning according to Derek Chamberlin who was on the door and said: "It's great, a really good turn-out especially for such a cold morning. But people like the atmosphere here, everything seems to go very well here and it is all very friendly."

Organiser Marian Hickie, who is branch leader of All Saints Mothers' Union, said: "This is such a wonderful fundraiser - such a good project, which affects so many people. Everyone has to go into hospital at some time or another, but this is for if you are taken as an emergency and you haven't got the basics with you...

"We supply five wards at the Conquest Hospital at the moment - the assessment ward, the A&E five bedded ward, the Kipling Ward, which is for children, and the Murray ward and Benson ward which are medicine for the elderly. The ward we are hoping to add to our five is the Macdonald ward and theyhave asked if we can provide packs there.

"If we make enough money today they will be on our list, and I am sure we will be able because we are always well supported."

The items for the emergency packs are bought from the value lines of local supermarkets and put together individually at a cost of 57 pence each, and so far the branch has provided 3,000 packs.

Mary Whiting, 83, of Turkey Road, has been a Mothers' Union member since 1964.

She joined because her own mum was a member, and commented: "I used to come along with her occasionally when I could, and I got to see what they were doing, and what they were about, and I decided I would like to be a member as well - they do a lot of good work."