A GROUP of hard-working fund-raisers are celebrating reaching the magic £100,000 mark.

Members of the Worcestershire and North Cotswold Group of the Crohn's In Childhood Research Association handed over £13,000 at the charity's national annual meeting. The presentation takes the total raised since the local group was formed in 1994 to £100,000.

The group's main fund-raising event is an annual World Famous Charity Auction, which is hosted by auctioneer Andrew Grant and Mike George of BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester. But sponsored events, quiz nights, concerts and sales have all helped the fund-raising drive.

Trustee Tony O'Neill, of Laverton, Broadway, said: "The result speaks for itself, but apart from our members I would like to thank Dave and Jenny Harrison from the Farmers Arms, Kempsey, for providing a free venue for various events, and Andrew Grant and Mike George for turning our annual auction into an entertainment must.

"Most of all, I would like to thank the residents and business people of Worcestershire and the Cotswolds for their generosity. Every penny raised by us goes to where it is most needed - into vital research to find the cause and a cure for the many children who suffer from Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and related diseases."