MORE than £1,200 has been raised for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) through a bric-a-brac sale.

The charity’s Carterton fundraising group also sold cakes and plants.

The group usually hold fundraising sales at shows and fairs, however, due to coronavirus, the volunteers organised their own event in the garden of one their members.

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Edie Richens, who helps to run the Carterton fundraising group, said: “At this time of year we normally would be running our stalls at some of the steam shows or local fairs. However, lockdown restrictions meant we had to be a little more creative.

“We’d like to thank the local community for their support. The only reason this event was so successful was because people were kind enough to donate items we could sell or buy something from us.”

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Aisha Kellaway, fundraising manager for the BHF, said: “It has been really humbling to see the dedication of the Carterton branch over the last few months.

“With the UK in lockdown, most volunteer fundraising ground to halt. But the way they have adapted to the circumstances and continued fundraising safely has been inspirational. I should have known a pandemic wouldn’t stop them.

“Our life-saving research is fuelled by the generous donations of the public, but the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic means we need the support of the public now, more than ever.”

The Carterton group was founded in 1987 and over the last 10 years, has raised more than £158,000.

Heart and circulatory diseases cause nearly 170,000 deaths each year in the UK.