A WINCHESTER woman has raised more than £500 for a charity that is helping her husband following two brain haemorrhages.

Sue Lovett, who is a full-time carer for 52-year-old Andy, held a motown evening which raised £550 including gift aid for the Winchester and District Stroke Support Group.

Now she is planning to hold four events a year for various local charities and said it is important they are supported.

"They are absolutely fantastic at the support group," the 56-year-old said.

"Andy has never looked back. It's only one afternoon a week but he absolutely loves it and feels like he belongs somewhere.

"Charities, like the Stroke Support Group, need all the help they can get. They need people behind them and if we can have a really good night out whilst raising money, then that's brilliant."

Mr Lovett suffered his first brain haemorrhage in 2000 and spent five weeks in a coma. He gave up his high-flying career in London and when he met Mrs Lovett in 2005 moved to Winchester.

The couple married exactly two years after they met and now live in Middle Brook Street.

In 2011 Mr Lovett got a new job but four weeks later on a night out in Brighton had a seizure in the pub, again leaving him in a coma for five weeks.

Now he is blind in one eye and needs daily support from his doting wife.

"I'm very proud of her," he said.

"She is my rock.

"The support group is like having another family, they are such a wonderful set of people. We do a lot of events and have speakers in from different organisations. It's somewhere to go that brings my confidence up."

Thanks to Mrs Lovett's fundraising the group is going on a day trip to Beaulieu in July.

Elsie White, chair, said: "We are very grateful to Sue for her tremendous effort in raising such a generous sum. The money will be put towards activities such as our next outing."

Mrs Lovett is organising a fundraising night in October, and all 120 tickets have already sold.

The stroke support group meets at Winnall Community Centre from 2pm-4pm on Mondays and is welcoming new members. For more information email info@winchesterstrokesupport.org.uk.