Dine in fine style to aid our appeal (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Dine in fine style to aid our appeal

Picture Ref: 99675-21Fabio's Restaurant in Old Town is offering everyone the chance to enjoy a three-course charity meal to help contribute towards the Swindon Cancer appeal.

And the organisers of this year's World's Biggest Coffee Morning in Swindon are hoping the money raised at its event will smash the £55,000 coffee morning target.

Nationally the event raises money for Macmillan Cancer Relief. In Swindon the money raised will go towards the Advertiser-backed cancer appeal which will help develop the specialist cancer care staff unit in Swindon that aims to improve the lives of cancer sufferers.

Mario Freti, the owner of Fabio's, is staging the special night on Tuesday, October 11.

He said: "I am very happy to be able to help. Hopefully it will be very busy and we would like to have about 80 people on the night."

Prices for the evening which includes starters, a main course, dessert and entertainment by a a choir ensemble cost just £15.95, of which £10 will be donated to the appeal.

Graziella Campisano, Swindon's Cancer Appeal manager said: "It is an immensely generous offer from Mario to donate so much of the price because it means he will not even be covering the cost of the food for himself."

The menu on offer is varied and suitable for all tastes, including vegetarians.

Sheila Harrod, who is helping to organise the night, has also offered the singing services of the Kentwood Choir, which she runs with her husband Chris.

"Mario told me he wanted to do something for the cancer appeal and we came up with the idea of a charity dinner," she said.

There will be two pianos available on the night to provide a piano bar experience at the Continental affair.

Sheila said: "It is a very important charity that does so much for so many but receives little in return to help resource it. I am just glad that we could help."

Tickets for the event, which starts at 6.45pm, are limited.To book contact Graziella on 01793 432252.

Graziella says she is hopeful the World's Biggest Coffee Morning will also have raised a lot of money for the appeal after an increase of more than 140 registrations across Wiltshire since last year.

"We are still processing all of the applications so it's a bit too early to say, but what with the increase in registrations this year we are fairly confident of doing well," she said.

The Swindon charity, established in 2003, originally aimed to raise £600,000 for specialist Macmillan cancer nurses but it has since smashed that record and is now aiming for the £1m mark. So far the appeal has achieved £769,326

Victoria Ashford