AN incredible £3,000 has been raised for local charities by Lyme’s former mayor.
Cllr Michaela Ellis chose to support Axminster and Lyme Cancer Support and Lyme Regis Pantomime Society as her mayor’s charities during her year of office.
Cllr Ellis held various fundraising events, including bingos, raffles, table-top sales and tombolas, with the support of the two charities.
She was delighted to present £1,500 to each of the organisations.
Cllr Ellis said: “It’s been hard work doing all the events but to have raised that amount in only a year is great. These two charities do so much for the people in Lyme Regis with the support they give and the enjoyment they provide.
“I’m thrilled to be able to present them with this money to support their activities.”
Mary Kahn, founder of Axminster and Lyme Cancer Support, accepted a cheque on the charity’s behalf and said the majority would go towards counselling sessions.
She said: “This money makes a huge difference. We have seen a massive growth in the need to support local people – we currently have 530 people registered.
“The amount of money is phenomenal. It’s a community charity, with the money being raised locally for local people so it’s a ripple effect and what it means to have the support from the mayor is huge. I think people like to support local charities that work in their community.
“The vast majority of the money we receive goes towards counselling. In the last year we have launched a creative hub, bringing people together to be creative, which we have found to be very valuable if people are regularly chatting and creating.”
Annette Denning, a committee member for Lyme Regis Pantomime Society, accepted the cheque on the organisation’s behalf and said it would go towards the next show, Cinderella.
She said: “I’m sure this money will go towards costumes because we have a lot of young people and they are growing all the time so we always need new costumes and always need props.
“We used to hire dame costumes but we are trying to buy them now for future years, which we can then hire out to other groups so we can raise extra funds.
“To raise this kind of money would take a lot to do ourselves as we are only a small committee so it’s great to have the support of the mayor.”