MORE than £27,000 has been raised by the UK Hydrographic Office for charity.

A cheque for £27,551 has been given to the Musgrove Leukaemic Group Somerset, a charity which supports leukaemia and lymphoma patients and their families across the county.

Over the course of 2018, UKHO volunteers gave up their own time to host a number of fundraising events, including a bike ride from Portsmouth to Taunton, a ten-pin bowling night, bake sales, a sky dive, raffles, quizzes, sailing pursuits, a beard shave, sales of bamboo reusable cups and SW photography calendars, as well as a local multi-terrain race, ‘The Piddle Wood Plod’.

A spokesperson from Musgrove Leukaemic Group Somerset, said:"We are very grateful to the staff at the UKHO and all their sponsors who have raised the £27,551 that will enable the MLGS to continue to enhance the experience of patients undergoing treatment in the Haematology/Oncology Unit at Musgrove Park Hospital."

Each year, the UKHO supports a worthy charity voted for by its staff. Since 2007, they have raised more than £135,000.