A dinner organised by a Cornish farmers’ group has raised over one hundred thousand pounds for three charities.

The Heurs Club, a group of Cornish agriculturalists, hosted the event on Monday 1 December at the Hotel Bristol, Newquay.

Over 200 guests were treated to entertaining after dinner speeches by two celebrities, both with a real affinity with agriculture, in the shape of Farmer and BBC Countryfile presenter Adam Henson, followed by Rugby World Cup winner, who grew up on a dairy farm in North Cornwall , Phil Vickery MBE.

A pre-event raffle and charity shoot, in addition to a raffle and auction on the night, featuring some fantastic prizes including Six Nations rugby tickets and luxury hotel stays, resulted in a grand total of £116,787 being raised.

The Ken Thomas Charitable Trust, established in 1980 in memory of the Newquay farmer and founder member of the Huers Club, will benefit from one third of the proceeds from the event.

The charity provides bursaries and support for young farmers living in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly who wish to gain a wider industry experience and knowledge by travelling further afield.

Event organiser and Chairman of the Huers Club, Anthony Wills from Wadebridge, was delighted the event was a resounding success.

“It had been a long held ambition to organise such an event, raising funds for The Ken Thomas Trust and other worthy causes.

"We were delighted that the two latest recipients of funding from the trust, Samuel Hodge and Steven Harris, were in attendance on the night. They will be great ambassadors for Cornwall when they travel to America to study dairy farming."

The Motor Neurone Disease Association and Cancer Research UK will each benefit from the event, with both sharing a third each of the funds raised by the event.