OXFORD charity Oxfam raised £43,000 from its evening of celebrity entertainment on Sunday.

Eight Stories High featured story-telling performances by chef Raymond Blanc, journalist John Simpson and Sex and the City actress Kristin Davis.

The Oxford Playhouse event marked the 70th birthday of the charity, established after a meeting at the University Church of St Mary the Virgin in High Street, and now based in Cowley. Chief executive Dame Barbara Stocking said: “The people who were performing are so supportive. We would really like to see this become a more regular event.”

As well as a series of speeches, films and stories, there was also music and dancing provided by African artists.

BBC arts editor and Summertown resident Will Gompertz, who hosted the evening, said: “The art of storytelling has been forgotten but it is a wonderful art form, so this idea is wonderful.”

Speaking to the Oxford Mail before the event, Kristin Davis said her involvement with Oxfam, and the trips the charity had sent her on, had had a huge impact on her. She said: “I don’t think anybody could go on those trips and not have them change their lives.”