A DISAPPOINTING return on a charity fun day forced organisers to dip their hands into their own pockets to boost proceeds for the Acorns hospice appeal.

Nearly 300 children with their parents went to the Jungle Cubs Fun Factory in Evesham last week for a day of free entertainment.

All the visitors were greeted on arrival and told the event was in aid of the Acorn's Children's Hospice Trust, which is aiming to build a centre in Worcester for terminally ill children.

Despite this Jungle Cubs manager Julie Leonard found at the end of the day last Thursday that only £75.80 had been raised for the charity.

"It was embarrassing - I thought we were going to raise hundreds of pounds," she said. "Of course, some people were generous but I still feel a bit let down after all the hard work from all the staff."

Julie said that even though she had been disappointed she did not want to let the hospice down and had decided to top the proceeds up to £200.

The day included free activities such as face painting, an air hockey tournament, apple bobbing, doughnuts on strings, a lucky dip and more.

"The children all had a great time," said Julie. "They particularly enjoyed all the messy outdoor stuff - things they probably are not allowed to do at home."

It was announced earlier this month that the Acorns trust had passed the £3,000,000 mark and was rapidly moving towards its target of £4,000,000.