BUCKET collections in Cheshire saw almost £3,500 raised for St Luke’s Hospice at the weekend.

Part of the annual ‘Love St Luke’s’ fundraising campaign, initiatives such as street collections, cake sales and wearing red for Valentine’s Day saw £3,492.20 raised for the charity across the region.

In Middlewich and Winsford, volunteers took part in bucket collections which raised £527.07 in one day.

Meanwhile businesses and schools including Mosshaselhurst Solicitors, Dixon Rigby Keogh Solicitors Winsford Academy helped the cause by 'Going Red for a Bed'.

For the hospice, £763 would pay for a patient to receive 24 hours of care at the hospice.

146 (Northwich) Squadron Air Training Corps and their Cadets turned from blue to red during their evening Parade Night in support of St Luke’s and also held a cake sale.

Angela Slack, community partnerships manager, said: “We support hundreds of local people and their families every year who are going through the toughest of times, but without the help from the community, our fundraising task would be so much harder and that's what Love St Luke’s was all about.”