THE diamond wedding anniversary celebrations of a west Dorset couple have resulted in raising more than £700 for charity.

Tony and Margaret Greenham, who live in Beaminster, marked 60 years of marriage on March 28 and celebrated the occasion with a party in the town with all their friends and family.

The couple decided to raise money for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance during their anniversary celebrations and guests donated £735 to the charity.

Mr and Mrs Greenham said: “We would like to thank everyone who donated to the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance on the occasion of our anniversary. We were able to send £735 to this worthy cause.

“We hope everyone enjoyed the party.”

The couple have been supporters of the charity for some time and they also have a son and son-in-law in the fire service, who both regularly liaise with the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance and see first-hand the work the charity does.

Mr Greenham added: “I think it’s one of my favourite charities to support, we are part of the air ambulance lottery draw and we get their Beeline magazine through every month.”

The cheque for £735 was presented to Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance volunteer, Alan Harrow.

The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance was launched in 2000 and is operational for 19 hours a day, with each mission costing approximately £3,000.

On board, the critical care team has been using blood products since 2016 and are able to undertake blood transfusions.

Tracy Bartram, Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance communications manager, said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to Tony and Margaret for supporting the charity as part of their diamond wedding anniversary celebrations.

“To have raised £730 is simply incredible - what a wonderful gift.

“With operational costs of over £4 million and no direct funding from the government or the National Lottery, donations like this from Tony and Margaret make a huge difference in helping us to continue saving lives.

“A big thank you again.”