A FAMILY raised thousands of pounds for a hospice which cared for two of their members.

The Brattles, from Goring, staged an American-themed party, raising £7,035.85 for St Barnabas House in Worthing.

It was part of the hospice’s The Big Get Together, encouraging people to gather with friends, family or colleagues to have fun and raise money for charity.

Steve Brattle said: “This is the third year that we have held a themed party in aid of St Barnabas and in memory of my wife Debbie’s dad, Spencer Rayment, and sister, Dawn Madell.

“Both Spencer and Dawn received fantastic care from St Barnabas who helped them and our family through difficult times.

“It is our intention to hold these events every year and the challenge is to outdo the previous year.

“The first year we raised £2,600 with an Italian night and last year’s Mexican party raised £3,600.

“This year’s American night surpassed all our goals with an incredible total of £7,035.85 raised.

“The night was a party from start to finish with almost 200 guests. We bopped the night away, helped by well-known Elvis tribute act Suspiciously Elvis.

“We have already started planning next year’s ‘Disco Inferno’ night where the goal will be to raise £10,000 for our hospice.”

Jenny Murrell, community fundraising officer at St Barnabas House, said: “I would like to say a big thank you to the Brattle family for holding a fantastic event to raise vital funds for the hospice.

“The money raised between the two families equates to just shy of the total cost of providing all the care in our 20-bed in-patient unit for an entire day, which is an incredible amount.”

To find out more about holding your own Big Get Together visit www.stbh.org.uk/tbgt or contact the fundraising team on 01903 254777.