IN a mere five hours, a group of friends led by one woman raised £2,046.80 for the British Heart Foundation at a Christmas fete held in the Boniface Centre, Crediton.

The fete was organised by Natalie Lineker of Bow whose father, Graham, died suddenly from a heart attack shortly before Christmas last year.

Graham, an interior designer, had lived in Crediton for many years. Natalie began planning the fundraising event in April, with help from friends and family.

The stalls sold jewellery, greetings cards, books, clothes, DVDs, games, candles, cushions and other hand-made articles, plus Christmas decorations.

Most stallholders were local to Crediton with hand-made crafts, crafty items, or cosmetics.

There were refreshments, colouring books to keep children occupied and a raffle with more than 100 prizes plus a silent auction.

Natalie thanked everyone who had contributed to the day, all the local businesses and supporters for donating prizes, their names all up on the walls of the Boniface Centre. The fete ran from 11am until 4pm.

Sue Read