Renacres Hospital in Ormskirk has raised £4,500 for Queenscourt Hospice in Southport.

Renacres 4th Charity Fashion show: Fashion for Compassion was held on 8th March at Hurlston Hall, Ormskirk, in aid of Queenscourt Hospice.

Over 170 ladies from across Ormskirk and the surrounding area attended Ormskirk’s fashionista sell out event and gave generously to raise the grand total of £4,500.

The Northern String Quartet welcomed guests who were treated to prosecco and canapes on arrival and cupcakes during the interval. The evening was compered by Radio 2 City Presenter and included two Spring/Summer designer fashion shows showcasing this year’s must have designer wardrobe from Busy Body’s Lingerie Specialists, Birkdale Village and MUSE, Southport.

Generous donations were made throughout the evening during a heads and tails game and luxury raffle worth £3,000 which contributed to the final amount raised.

As well as guests, local businesses also dug deep and donated items and offers for each goodie bag as well as luxury raffle prizes to raise money for the local hospice. Each guest had the opportunity to win one of the many luxury raffle prizes on offer, including a meal for two at Marco Pierre White Indigo Hotel, Liverpool, a £200 MUSE gift voucher and a silver ‘Cloud Nine’ pendant from David M Robinson worth £475. As well as a fitting & styling session with a lingerie set from Busy Body’s Lingerie Specialists and two 30 minute spa treatments and a meal for two at Hurlston Hall.

12 lucky winners were delighted to find a hidden golden ticket in their goodie bags allowing free entry into this year’s Southport Flower Show which will take place from Thursday 17th-Sunday 20th August.

The models were made up of Busy Body’s Lingerie Specialists and MUSE customers and staff from the Royal Bank of Scotland who volunteered their time to raise money for their local charity. RBS has kindly donated £250 for each member of staff who modelled and assisted at the event as part of their Employee Giving scheme.

Representatives from Renacres Hospital were also blown away by a random act of kindness on the night. An accountant from B&M Stores in Southport announced that B&M Stores would also donate £500 to the total amount raised. After texting her boss, Julia Breen, Financial Controller received confirmation that the company would donate £500 from their carrier bag collection.

Wendy Williams, GP Liaison Officer at Renacres Hospital who organised the event, said: “On behalf of Renacres Hospital I would just like to thank all those who made the evening a great success, because of you we have managed to raise a whopping £4,500.

“A sincere thank you to all local businesses who gave up their time, services and donations.

“We are delighted to announce that we have raised £4,500 for our Charity of the Year thanks to those in our local area. Renacres Hospital is committed to charitable giving and I am so proud of what we have achieved.”

Carolyn Gorman Fundraising Manager at Queenscourt Hospice said: “This was an amazing night out and the team at Renacres Hospital should be really proud that all their hard work and enthusiasm has ensured the success of this wonderful event.

“Thanks should also go to Busy Body’s and Muse who organised the fashion shows, and all the other local people and businesses who got involved without whom this event would just not have been possible.

“The total amount raised is amazing and it’s thanks to the support of dedicated people like Wendy and the team at Renacres that Queenscourt Hospice can continue to provide care to local people completely free of charge at a time that they most need it.”

“Janette Morton, Proprietor of Busy Body’s Lingerie Specialists, Birkdale said: “It was a fantastic evening and we raised a lot of money for Queenscourt Hospice. We would like to thank all involved, especially our models and everyone who attended. We look forward to showing our Spring/Summer collections.”

Jenny McGreal, Owner of MUSE, Southport said: “My team and I were delighted Renacres charity fashion show - Fashion for Compassion was a huge success. It was a fantastic opportunity to showcase our clothes while raising money for a good cause.”

Local business who took part in the event include: MUSE , Busy Body’s Lingerie Specialists, The Beauty Barn, The Garden Room, The Northern String Quartet, The Lemon Tree Bakery, DJ – Jeff Wood , Lancashire Wedding Photography, Premier Events and Hurlston Hall.

Photo 1: Busy Body’s Swimwear
· Photo 2: MUSE Fashion Show
· Photo 3: Claire Simmo with event organisers (From left to right) Radio 2 City Presenter, Claire Simmo, Wendy Williams from Renacres Hospital, Jenny McGreal from MUSE, Janette Morton from Busy Body’s and Carolyn Gorman from Queenscourt Hospice.