WORCESTER-based charity The Noah's Ark Trust says a fund-raising event was saved at the eleventh hour by kind donations from city businesses.

Staff at the trust were at their wits' ends when they realised they had no prizes to give away at their Fun Day at Debenhams on Saturday.

Then the tide turned and they were inundated with gifts galore following an appeal on a Worcester website.

After a busy fun-filled day, staff will now notify the lucky winners of prizes.

These range from cinema tickets and holiday vouchers to micro scooters and VIP tickets to see the late Ian Dury's Blockheads and meet the performers.

"I was getting very concerned and I thought that we'd have to cancel the raffle, but the website saved the day and we had some great prizes to raffle off," said Trust administrator Sue Smith.

The charity, which offers a grief support programme for bereaved children and young people, recently moved to premises in the city.

The Fun Day at Debenhams was arranged after the Worcester branch offered to sponsor the trust as its chosen charity for the next six months.

"The day went brilliantly," added Mrs Smith. "We had a fun-packed day and we were able to spread the word about the work we do to so many people. I'm really pleased."

The store has also recently given the charity a microwave, telephone handset and a nest of coffee tables to help equip the family room at the new premises. Events like the Fun Day will help to raise cash for more equipment and furniture.

"The idea is that families can come to us rather than our service team going to them. The new family room is just a space at the moment but it will, hopefully, be up and running soon," added Mrs Smith.

"We raised £300 but the fund-raising wasn't the most important thing about the day. We really wanted to spread the word about what we do.

"Some people don't read the papers or listen to the radio so it was good to catch so many people who didn't know about us before."