Ribble Valley restaurant helps to raise more than £10,000 for cancer charity

But, truthfully, it was the kindness and community spirit of local people, not luck, that ensured the Casino Evening and auction at The Wellsprings went off without a hitch. It raised around £11,000 for Labels For CARES to help purchase endoscopy machines for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust. The latest donation of this life-saving equipment was made in September at a cost of £250,000.

Celebrities like Bargain Hunt’s Danny Sebastian and ITV’s Jo Blythe, who is the charity’s ambassador, were also on hand to give the event some star power.

Zak Marhraoui, who owns the Spanish and Mexican restaurant situated on Pendle Hill, says the business has been supporting the charity for two years and even has its own fundraising shop.

“The casino night was excellent. It went really well. I think the support from the public has been brilliant. The charity is doing really well and I think everyone should help support it if they can.”

Labels For CARES opened the UK’s first designer charity shop in Burnley town centre in 2020, selling brand-new items from brands like Karen Millen, Coast and Temperley.

Since first receiving an endoscopy machine from the charity in 2020, East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust has been able to perform almost 100,000 endoscopy procedures.

Anthony Fairclough, co-founder of Labels For CARES, said: “At some stage, one in two people are going to use these machines. They offer vital support to people in Burnley, Pendle and the Ribble Valley. They could prevent people from dying.”

Speaking about the success of the casino night, Anthony added: "We had all sorts of celebrities here and big sponsors who gave a lot to the auction and bought a lot of chips for the casino tables. It was one of the best nights at The Wellspring.”

The event was so popular among attendees that Anthony and Zak plan to do more fundraising events at the restaurant, starting with a Peaky Blinders night on Friday, February 7th, at 7pm. Tickets can be purchased through Labels For CARES or at the restaurant.