Afternoon tea with author raises £1,600 for Fylde mayor's charities

The event in a marquee in the grounds of The Villa hotel, Wrea Green, was the first for mayor Elaine Silverwood' s fund after lockdown and raised £1,621.

During her year of office, Coun Silverwood is supporting The Linden Centre, which provides counselling and support to those who have, or are caring for, someone with a non-curative or life-limiting illness; Fylde Coast Women’s Aid and Kirkham and Wesham Club Day - and she was delighted with the total raised.

Council Silverwood, who is proprietor of the Book and Bean bookshop and cafe in Kirkham, said: "Raising such a fabulous sum of money, alongside having a fun afternoon with the author, was just perfect.

"We received so many compliments about the event – The Villa’s afternoon tea was excellent – and the guests are keen to continue supporting us throughout the mayoral year.

"We do have more authors lined-up for afternoon teas, but are just waiting for confirmed dates before we can release the names.

"On behalf of the mayoral team, my huge thanks for all the support we received and we look forward to more events in the near future."

Clare Mackintosh is a former police officer whose novels have sold more than two million copies worldwide are published in more than 35 languages. A thriller called Hostage is her latest work.

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