A charity lunch has raised more than £26,000 for two deserving causes.

Organisers of the annual Kirklees and Calderdale Charity Lunch (KACCL), held at the Cedar Court Hotel, Ainley Top, easily surpassed their £24,000 target – providing a boost for the Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice at Bradley and the Halifax-based Orange Box centre for young people and features facilities such as a roof top skate park alongside counselling and support services.

Last year’s lunch raised £18,000 for the children’s hospice.

Callum Butterworth entertains at the Kirklees & Calderdale Annual Christmas Lunch

Entertainment at this year’s lunch, which was attended by 265 people from the from Kirklees and Calderdale business community, was provided by 16-year-old singer Callum Butterworth, of Halifax, and a choir drawn from young people attending Orange Box.

People who attended also enjoyed entertainment by magician and performer John Danbury and a heart-felt speech by Peter Branson, chief executive of the children’s hospice.

Steve Crowther, who has been appointed chair of KACCL 2018, said: “The event was absolutely fantastic and we are delighted with the amount raised on the day. On behalf of the committee, I’d like to extend a thank you to everyone who attended and for their donations to the two charities, who make such a huge difference to young people and families in our local area.

The Orange Box choir sing out at the Kirklees & Calderdale Annual Christmas Lunch

“There was lots of fun, laughter and some tears at the lunch due to the heart-felt speeches and performances. The entertainment from the young people at Orange Box who had never performed together in public was phenomenal. We’re already counting down the days until the 2018 charity lunch on December 6!”

Nadio Granata, who chaired this year’s organising committee, commented: “This is what happens when like-minded businesses in Kirklees and Calderdale come together for charity.”