A BARMAID has led the way in raising more than £1,000 for a cancer charity.

Jo-ann Salaita has organised a series of fundraising events at Brighton’s community pub The Bevy in Bevendean.

She staged a cake sale, tombola, raffle and a charity wax over the course of a month.

She has been helped by the pub’s Friday Friends.

They are all members of a weekly lunch club, where up to 60 older residents from Moulsecoomb and Bevendean enjoy a meal, bingo and a chance to socialise.

Members of the group bought raffle tickets every week throughout the fundraising.

A total of £1,229.55 has been donated to Macmillan Cancer Support.

Jo-ann wants to thank people in East Brighton for their support.

She said: “Without all the community pulling together, we wouldn’t have been able to do it.

“It was all the kind people living locally who definitely made it happen.”

The Bevy is the UK’s first co-operative pub on a housing estate and provides an important meeting space for people.

The Friday Friends started as a lunch club for nine people in 2016 and now has some 60 members on the books, all older people who might otherwise be isolated and alone.

Jonathan Woolven, treasurer of the Friday Friends, said: “It was a real community effort.

“Lots of the local builders and business people offered their services as prizes in the raffle.

“These included gardening and DIY, and one person even offered to do the ironing for the weekend.

“There’s a big heart in Moulsecoomb, everyone comes together when they need to.”

The charity waxing event was a particular highlight of the fundraising.

Jo-ann, who also works as a beautician, said: “It was a brilliant turnout on the day.

“We raised more than £200 in donations just from waxing the pub manager’s chest.”

For more about the community pub, go to https://www.thebevy.co.uk/