STAFF from Somerset Care’s Wiltshire home care team have been busy raising money for their chosen charity this month.

Using an excuse to dress up, the Melksham-based mobile team chose a heroes and villains theme.

From Florence Nightingale to Cruella de Vil, 14 staff pulled out all the stops with their costumes to raise money for Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

Spreading the fundraising festivities over three days, the team also organised a raffle and balloon pop event at their based on the Challymead Business Park.

The team were overwhelmed by the support given from local businesses, who contributed a grand total of 81 prizes on offer.

They included generous donations from Bath Racecourse, Melksham’s Toby Carvery, the Melksham Asda and Waitrose stores, Cheddar Gorge, LAPT, Gompels Healthcare Ltd, Andy York Photography, Just Hair, Beechfield House, Inception PT and more.

Jenny Futcher, Business Manager for Taunton-based Somerset Care, said: “I would like to thank the local businesses that supported our event and the staff in the office for their amazing efforts.

“We raised £180 for Wiltshire Air Ambulance, our chosen charity. We’re already excited about our next fundraising event.”

The Wiltshire Air Ambulance relies almost entirely on public donations to keep it in the air and, on average, attends three potentially lifesaving missions a day in the helicopter and response car.

The charity is trying to raise £1.25 million for its new airbase at Semington.