TROWBRIDGE man Matthew Whiting is already planning his next fundraising event, after raising just over £2,000 for Dorothy House through a charity disco and auction at Southwick Village Hall.

Mr Whiting, who held the event on February 28, presented a cheque for £2,030 to Yvonne Brunton, community fundraiser for Dorothy House Hospice Care last Friday (March 5) at the charity’s Trowbridge outreach centre.

The 45-year-old decided he wanted to do something for the charity at the beginning of the year and said one of reasons for choosing Dorothy House was because of the help it gave to relative and Trowbridge mum Kate Coles, who died from cancer in 2009.

Mr Whiting is a godparent to Mrs Cole’s daughter and said he could not believe that Dorothy House needs to raise £9,000 a day to keep its valuable palliative care treatment running.

He said: “I woke up on New Year’s Day morning and thought I wanted to do something for charity and as I know about the fantastic work Dorothy House does from the time they cared for Kate it seemed like an ideal cause.

“I also found out it takes £9,000 a day to keep it running, so I was delighted the event raised over £2,000 as that made a big dent. The event was sold out and we had 150 people attend in total.

“We had a raffle and disco, plus an auction for two signed Bath Rugby shirts. People were asking me to do it again, so I have already booked the hall for New Year’s Eve for another event for Dorothy House.

“I want to thank everyone who came along and bought raffle tickets, as well as Stairway Joinery in Westbury, Creation Builders in Trowbridge and CDP Supplies in Westbury for their donations.”

Mr Whiting was not the only fundraiser presenting a cheque to Dorothy House last week, with Wiltshire College student Catherine Powell-Aslett also giving a cheque to the charity.

The Trowbridge 17-year-old, a Level 2 health and social care student at Chippenham campus, raised £600 for the charity after having her hair shaved off at Faded Hair Studio just before Christmas.

She decided to have her locks shorn in aid of the Winsley-based hospice after they looked after her late granddad. The cheque was also presented last Friday to community fundraiser Steph Cox.