More than £3,000 has been raised for the Neuro Muscular Centre in Winsford after a successful night of festive fundraising at Cheshire Constabulary.

A total of £3,127.06 was raised by officers and staff who took part in the Constabulary’s annual Christmas Charity raffle and Quizmas event.

And on Tuesday, January 17, Chief Constable Simon Byrne visited the charity to see how the money will be spent.

The funds raised will support the Neuro Muscular Centre with its development aspirations.

The centre currently supports around 1,700 people a year and plans to extend the centre by a further 60%.

'Phenomenal amount of money'

This will help to increase the number of people it can support who are affected by muscular dystrophy, a severe and progressive muscle wasting condition.

A new building extension is currently being constructed with a large community café area, new studio for the Design + Print Social Enterprise, plus a fully accessible gym specially adapted for people with limited mobility.

The money raised by Cheshire Constabulary will help fund the development.

The Quizmas event, hosted by Geraint Jones, saw almost 100 people get in the festive spirit by tackling the puzzling quiz and taking part in the Constabulary’s first ever ‘find the Naughty Elf’ competition.

Chief Constable Simon Byrne said: “I would like to thank officers and staff for helping to raise such a phenomenal amount of money for the Neuro Muscular Centre. I was really pleased that so many of you got into the spirit of the event.

“The money will support the centre immensely, and the Constabulary should be proud for helping to make such a difference to people with muscular dystrophy.”

'Extremely grateful'

The raffle consisted of more than 90 prizes such as Take That tickets, an overnight stay at the Cottons Hotel and lunch for two at The Chester Grosvenor Hotel.

As well as the top prizes, there were hampers, food vouchers and gift cards which had been kindly donated by local businesses.

Amy Swatkins, a community development fundraiser at the Neuro Muscular Centre, said: “It’s an amazing amount of money to have raised, we were overwhelmed when we found out and it will make a significant difference.

“We are extremely grateful for this support from our biggest local employer. Thank you to Amy Selby and the team for organising the event and to all the officers and staff who attended and bought raffle tickets.

“The money raised will help us continue supporting individuals and families across the Cheshire region who are affected by muscular dystrophy.”