A MALVERN couple whose children receive respite care at Acorns Children's Hospice have tied the knot, raising nearly £2,000 for charity during the celebrations.

Instead of asking for typical wedding gifts, Julie and Spiros Vlachos, of Broadland Drive, asked for donations to be split between three organisations that have helped their family enormously.

As well as Acorns, money will go to Manor Park School, Worcester, which their children Aliki and Alexandros attend, and a research project into Leigh Syndrome at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

The couple were over the moon to raise £1,895 from wedding guests, including family, friends, local doctors, teachers and friends.

"We had a really, really good day," said Julie. "The icing on the cake for us was that so many friends and relatives said it was the best wedding they've ever been to. A lot of people said to us they wished more people asked for donations instead of presents."

Julie said that as most people live together before getting married they do not need gifts in the traditional sense, so it makes sense to give money to a worthy cause.

"A lot of people end up getting presents they don't need and I find the idea of a wedding list a bit formal and impersonal," she said. "At the end of the day, our children use the hospice, they go to the school and although research can't do anything for our children, hopefully it will help in the future."

Leigh Syndrome is a rare and incurable brain disease affecting both Aliki and Alexandros. They visit Acorns in Worcester every few months for respite care.

The couple got married at Hilton Puckrup Hall, Tewkesbury, on Friday, May 5, exactly ten years after they first got together.

They chose to delay their wedding so that Alexandros could be the best man.