THERE’S no better way to bring people together than a good old-fashioned party – and one Urmston street is taking the lead.

To help residents of North Grove get to know each other, Charlotte Schunke and a neighbour decided to throw a street party.

When Charlotte spotted that Macmillan Cancer Support was promoting a Summer Lights campaign – ‘a get together to celebrate the people who light up your life’ – she thought it would be a good idea to combine neighbourliness with fundraising.

She invited residents from all of the 32 houses to the North Grove Macmillan Street Party in August and 89 people accepted.

To maximise fundraising, Charlotte approached a number of businesses in Urmston for raffle prizes, with many giving generously.

The party was a success, with just over £500 raised.

Charlotte said: “Our street is beautiful and our yards all back on to each other. Although we knew each other on our side of the street, not many did on the other side so we thought it would be lovely to have a street party.

“Everyone got involved and it was really nice to come together as a community. All of us on the street have known someone who has died of cancer so it meant a lot.”

In an email to Charlotte, Macmillan praised the efforts of the street.

It read: “We would also like to say congratulations on beating your fundraising target nearly five times over. We truly appreciate your generosity and efforts. It helps us make sure that no one faces cancer alone.”

Inspired by the success of the summer party, Charlotte has now set her sights on future fundraising events for North Grove. She is currently organising pumpkin carving event at Halloween, with food donations going to Stretford Food Bank.