A Rochford pub has been raising a toast after raising £1,000 for a local children’s hospice charity.

At the end of last year, The Golden Lion in North Street organised a festive event which invited customers and staff to wear Christmas Jumpers and take part in a raffle for a donation towards Little Havens Hospices.

The pub is a great supporter of the charity. Emma Young, Community Fundraiser at Havens Hospices, says, “This isn’t the first time the Golden Lion has shown the charity such generosity – we cannot thank the staff and customers at the Golden Lion pub enough for their support in raising around £13,800 for the charity over the past 13 years.”

“We really appreciate their loyalty and thank you to those that bought raffle tickets and made donations at the event. We must raise over £40,000 each week to be there for every baby, child and teenager who needs us, and this would not be possible without the support from businesses like theirs.”

Margaret Forley from the Golden Lion says, “We would like to thank everyone for their help in raising this incredible £1000 for Little Havens. I would like to especially thank Claire and her beloved dog Lady for their fantastic help in selling the raffle tickets – everyone had great fun and made such an effort with their Christmas Jumpers!”

The vital funds raised will contribute towards providing palliative nursing and supportive care to babies, children and teenagers living with complex or incurable conditions across Essex.