Caring Lady Funeral Directors hold fashion fundraiser

Around 80 ladies helped to raise almost £650 for charity thanks to a fashion show held by Caring Lady Funeral Directors. The funeral business, located in Goring By Sea, held the show at the end of February to raise money for St Barnabas House. It was the first fashion show to be held by the local funeral coordinators after they had been inspired by other similar events. Jackie Arnaud, funeral coordinator at Goring's Caring Lady Funeral Directors, said: "We had no idea how many people would be interested in the event but we sold almost 40 tickets as soon as we put them on sale. But it was even more surprising on the night when we had around 80 ladies join us plus all of our incredible fashion volunteers and organisers. "It was a wonderful night and everyone felt the evening was a great success, with an enjoyable atmosphere and plenty of laughter. We are so grateful for everyone's support as it meant we could raise a significant amount for our local hospice which is incredible.” She added: "Several people have been asking when we will be organising another fashion evening but we need a bit of time to recover first." The event was organised by funeral coordinators Jackie Arnaud and Sandra Choi and held at the Goring Conservative Club. The venue was offered for free along with a generous donation of a glass of prosecco for everyone who attended. A large number of local businesses also donated raffle prizes. Travelling Trends was the fashion organiser and kindly donated 10% of the sales on the night. St Barnabas House is an independent charitable hospice located in Worthing, West Sussex. It provides end of life care services, both at the hospice and in the local community, to adults with advanced progressive life-limiting conditions. Mary Bye, community fundraiser at St Barnabas House, added: "Thank you so much to Caring Lady Funeral Directors for organising such a wonderful, fun event. Everyone here at St Barnabas is very grateful for their amazing support. The money raised will help us to provide more care to more patients. It could, for example, fund the cost of a 24-hour stay for a patient on In-Patient Unit."