HUNDREDS of people braved the Stourbridge rain on Saturday (September 3) to help raise more than £11,000 for Mary Stevens Hospice.

Crowds flocked to the Hagley Road hospice’s annual summer fete despite the downpours which lasted well into the afternoon.

But in spite of the spectacularly British summer weather, the charity’s fundraising ended up well past what organisers had expected.

Charlotte Schofield, Mary Stevens Hospice’s head of fundraising, said: “We’re overwhelmed by the way our community rallied around in support of the hospice on Saturday.

“The weather was absolutely dreadful, yet hundreds of families still made the trip to come and see us and to get involved in all the fun going on, on the day.

“Despite the rain, we had so much fun and the amount raised in the end has absolutely blown us away. £11,000 makes such an enormous difference to our patients and their families, and we’d just like to say thank you to everyone involved on the day for making that possible.”

Throughout the event, guests were treated to a number of top Black Country musical acts, displays, a visit from the Mayor of Dudley, Cllr Mo Hanif, as well as the annual dog show and a visit from a number of famous faces.

One of those faces, legendary West Bromwich Albion striker ‘Super’ Bob Taylor, kicked off proceedings and he also stuck around after the event to join a few of the staff in The Crown Inn to help them warm up and dry off over a glass of orange juice.

Musicians including Got2Sing and Flying Ant Day performed, while display teams from the Danse Vivante dance school, and Fitness Factory gym entertained the crowds, before the annual dog show welcomed dogs of all breeds and sizes to compete for a range of rosettes.

For more information about Mary Stevens Hospice visit www.marystevenshospice.co.uk