A GROUP of women from Hale Barns have helped raise more than £18,000 for a Manchester charity.

The money will go towards the Wood Street Mission's SmartStart campaign.

It was organised at the Fox Restaurant by Tamara Semp, Mehr Mussarat and Sylvia Dobkin who brought together 130 women for lunch.

The campaign raises funds to help low income families in Manchester and Salford equip their children for school.

Tamara explained: “As friends we go to a number of charity events and we were keen to host a ladies lunch for a local charity and work with the team at Fox.

"Recently, I was in Manchester and spotted a large queue just off Deansgate. Curiosity got the better of me and I asked what it was for, and was shocked to hear it was families queuing to get basic clothes and food from the mission."

During the lunch guests, which included, Seema Malhotra from Real Housewives of Cheshire, were treated to three course lunch, with entertainment from singer Yvette Royale. Coronation Street actor Jimmi Harkishin hosted a raffle, which included over 30 prizes from local businesses and from the Fox restaurant.

Tamara said the fundraising was an absolute necessity given the level of poverty across Manchester and Salford.

“We are in a bubble sometimes in our own lives and simple things like school shoes are not something that many people in Hale would struggle to buy.

"As a mother of four it really hit home that families just a few miles away cannot get their children new shoes for the new term."