A TAUNTON couple have celebrated their wedding by donating thousands of pounds to the Somerset Unit for Radiotherapy Equipment (SURE) campaign.

Nick and Anna Saunders decided rather than asking for wedding presents when they got married last year, they would like to raise money for charity instead.

And as both had experiences with cancer - Anna's dad Graham died of a rare form of skin cancer, and Nick's mum Helen had breast cancer - they decided to pick SURE.

Anna said: "When it came to planning our wedding, as we both already lived together and had furnished our house, we didn't want to ask our guests for wedding presents.

"We decided we wanted to do something special on our wedding day to remember what Graham and Helen had been through, along with many others at the wedding who had been touched by cancer."

They raise a staggering £3,317 for the charity.

Anna said: "We just want to say a big thank you to everyone for their kindness and generosity."

SURE, which is aiming to raise £600,000 to provide specialist diagnostic and treatment equipment for a new cancer centre that is going to be built in Taunton, had another big donation this week.

Margaret Harper, of Ashill, donated £1,200 to the charity from the profits of her jewellery-making hobby.

Margaret designs and makes dichroic glass - multiple layers of quartz crystals and metal oxides that have been vaporised in a vacuum and attached to glass - which she then turns into jewellery and sells at local craft fairs, coffee mornings and shows.

However, rather than turning her hobby into a money-making business all the profits she makes she donates to charity.

Margaret said: "I just love to make the jewellery, so as long as I have enough to by the materials to make more I think its great to be able to help local worthwhile charities such as SURE.

John Trowbridge also donated £200 to SURE this week, bringing the total raised since the County Gazette joined forces with the campaign to £39,508.

- There will be prize bingo in aid of SURE at Donyatt bowling club on Friday and at Creech St Michael village hall on Saturday.

Eyes down is at 7.30pm for both events.