A former MP won thousands of pounds for a local charity after appearing on a TV game show.

Ann Widdecombe and her family graced our screens when she took part in All Star Family Fortunes on Sunday night.

Teamed with her niece, nephew and their spouses, Mrs Widdecombe beat singer Paul Potts and his family to raise a total of £10,000 - half which will be donated to Hove charity Safe Haven for Donkeys in the Holy Land.

The charity helps hundreds of unwanted and abused donkeys in Israel and Palestine and is the only organisation dedicated to caring for working and abandoned donkeys in the Middle East.

It also provides free veterinary care for 600 working donkeys, mules and horses.

Lucy Fensom, from Hove, set up the charity in 2000 in response to an “enormous number of injured and mistreated donkeys she came across during a trip to Israel”.

She said: “To be honest the only words I have for Ann is that she's outstanding and awesome. The things she does for us is incredible.

“For us, fundraising for something happening 2,500 miles away is no easy task so we are so deeply grateful to Ann.

“We've got our sanctuary where we have 204 animals including a cow, goat and horses too.”

Lucy said the £5,000 will help fund vet fees, food, mobile clinics and two permanent hospitals.

She added: “We didn't even know she was going to be on the show, so when I got a text from a colleague at the charity I was shocked.

“She's very humble. We're so grateful.”

The former Conservative MP for Maidstone and The Weald made it all the way to the Big Money Round final, where questions included “name something you hold your trousers up with” and “name a European city beginning with the letter B”.She answered with “buttons” and “Bern” respectively.

For more information on the charity, visit safehaven4donkeys.org