LEIGH Park Community Centre was transformed into Ascot on Saturday night when a race night raised £3,500 for the Bath Cancer Unit Support Group.

Over 100 people attended the Westbury event, organised by the Trowbridge and Westbury branch of the charity, and placed bets on six recorded horse races which were displayed on a projector at the front of the room.

The money raised will go towards funding additional extras for the cancer unit at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, where a new positron scanner was installed in June.

Organiser Sam Gooding said: “We’re very happy with how the event went. We had more people turn up than last year and raised a fantastic amount which will make a big difference.

“The night also featured a raffle and auction with prizes donated by local businesses which were both very popular too.

“Lots of people gave positive feedback afterwards which was great to hear.”

The Bath Cancer Unit Support Group, which holds fundraising events to improve the hospital's facilities, is aiming to raise an additional £80,000 to make the unit as effective as possible.

This will cover the costs of a hand and foot monitor which staff can use after handling radioactive material, a Radhound radiation monitor used to check for any contamination with a radioisotope and more.

Since launching in 1988, the Trowbridge and Westbury branch has contributed over £500,000 to the charity, of which £140,000 has been in the last three years as a result of the £1.2m Positron Scanner Appeal.

Marie Brichard-Parsons, another race night organiser, said: “We had a great attendance on the night and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves which is just what we wanted.

“The charity is always looking for more volunteers and just a few hours a year can really help us out, especially in the lead up to Christmas when we will have a "Wishing Tree" in Castle Place throughout December.”

If you would like to get involved with the charity, contact vice chairman Tino Polledri on 07715 177336 or email J.polledri@talktalk.net.