A TESCO employee in Didcot has been named its national Fundraiser of the Year after she and colleagues raised £28,000 for children’s cancer charity Clic Sargent.

Mother-of-four Diane Anns encouraged staff at Tesco’s Didcot distribution centre in Collett Road to develop a programme of events over the course of a year and stage a series of activities including runs, walks and raffles.

There was also a Halloween party where staff dressed up and took part in an auction.

Mrs Anns, from Stanford in the Vale, near Wantage, received the award at Tesco’s national staff fundraising awards at Alexandra Palace, London, recently She said: “I really feel that Clic Sargent is such a fantastic and worthy cause and I wanted to raise as much as possible so that more families can benefit from the vital service the nurses offer.

“My team has worked really hard and it’s great to be rewarded with this award.

“We have received so much support from so many people and I just wanted to say a huge thank you to all staff and Tesco customers who attended and donated to the events and helped us reach our target and make it such a success.”

The money raised contributed to the Clic Sargent Tesco Charity of the Year partnership, which ended in February.

In total, the partnership has raised a record-breaking £7.2m to help pioneer new ways of caring for children with cancer, beating the original fundraising target of £5m.

The sum will help to fund Clic Sargent specialist nurses at hospitals across the UK, including the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

Rachel Williams, of the charity, said: “Diane has been outstanding and encouraged her team to raise a truly impressive amount for Clic Sargent.”