Gala night raises £1m for children's charity

Guests at the charity gala night

A charity gala has raised more than £1m to support vulnerable children in Yorkshire.

Yorkshire Children's Charity provides essential items and support services for children, as well as offering advice and support for families.

Its fundraising event, A Night Under The Stars, was held at Grantley Hall near Ripon on Saturday and was hosted by television presenter Helen Skelton.

Charlotte Farrington, the charity's chief executive officer, said: "Setting a target of a million was always ambitious, but I believe that we owed it to our children who cannot advocate for themselves to do so."

The black tie event included a four-course dinner and a fundraising auction, with musical performances from pop singer Olly Murs, opera performer Olivia Safe, singer-songwriter Finn Forster and the London Community Gospel Choir.

About 400 people attended the event, with guests paying £1,000 for a ticket.

Helen Skelton hosted the event at Grantley Hall in Ripon

The evening was set in the Orangery at Grantley Hall

Ms Farrington said: "We are a steadfast needs-led organisation, and it is clear from the applications we are receiving that the need in Yorkshire has never been greater.

"A Night Under The Stars has allowed us to collectively do something significant for our children and the communities that we support."

The charity said the money would help support more than 25,000 children who were "living at a disadvantage" in Yorkshire.

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