A FUNDRAISING business lunch has raised thousands of pounds for a county hospice.

The event, sponsored by Workforce Recruitment and Training, was held at Grafton Manor, in Bromsgrove, and attracted 120 guests.

Among the group was Bromsgrove MP and Secretary of State for Communities Sajid Javid, who took questions on a variety of business topics in a session chaired by BBC presenter Joanne Malin.

The event raised a total of £3,000 for Primrose Hospice, which supports cancer patients and their families, with the recruitment firm donating £1,000.

Joe Alekna, managing director of Workforce, also revealed the firm was planning to give further support to the hospice over the coming months.

“This is a new partnership between Workforce and Primrose Hospice, which provides essential care to people and their families at what is a very difficult time," Mr Alekna said.

"We are planning to hold more events to help raise as much money as possible for a great local charity.”

Kate Kelly, corporate fundraising manager at Primrose Hospice, said: “The business lunch was a fantastic event which has given us a much needed fundraising boost. We are very grateful to Workforce for their support. Everyone who attended donated so generously.”

Primrose Hospice needs £1.75 million every year to keep running all its services but gets less than a fifth of its funding from the NHS and relies heavily on voluntary donations.