A SPECIAL gala dinner in Romsey raised almost £40,000 for Wessex Heartbeat on its 25th birthday.

Wessex Heartbeat, the charity that has been saving and transforming lives through their cardiac centre for 25 years, had the event held in its honour last weekend.

The 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner, sponsored by Eric Robinson Solicitors of Romsey and their managing partner Catherine Maxfield, was attended by 132 guests enjoying a wonderful gourmet dinner menu.

In total, £37,284 was collected for the charity.

Catherine said: “Wessex Heartbeat is a charity that remains close to our hearts and we are very proud to be sponsoring this 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner of Wessex Heartbeat at Romsey Abbey.”

John Munro, chief executive of Wessex Heartbeat introduced the evening by thanking the guests for their continued support

“In the last 25 years, almost £16m has been spent on the continued support of the Wessex Cardiac Centre,” he said.

“It is one of the finest centres, not only in the UK but internationally recognised. It treats more than 40,000 patients a year, with over 4,000 of these being children”

Revd. Canon Tim Sledge welcomed guests to the Abbey.

He said: “We are delighted to host this dinner in the wonderful surroundings of the Abbey. For just under 1000 years, this building has been host to many wonderful occasions and has been the beating heart of the community throughout that time”.

The evening was expertly compered by Jo Kent, BBC South Today presenter.

Superb entertainment for the guests was provided by the Cordelectra electric string trio. The 5, a five-piece Male Vocal Group who have performed at The Mayflower, and Parkwood School of Dance from Eastleigh, whose principal Lynne Wiltshire was herself a Parkwood Girl before joining The Royal Ballet.

The evening concluded with a Wessex Heartbeat Silent Auction, which raised £33,000.