A DINNER and auction organised by Cammell Laird has raised £20,000 for soldiers' charity Help For Heroes.

Taking place at Wallasey Town Hall the event, hosted by Cammell Laird's chief executive John Syvret CBE, was in aid of Armed Forces Day. 

It was attended by 120 guests, including Wirral's mayor Ann McLachlan, Lord Mayor of Liverpool Malcolm Kennedy, Laird's staff and representatives from local businesses.

Serving members of the Armed Forces and members of Liverpool University Royal Naval Unit also attended.

Mr Syvret said: "Cammell Laird has a long and proud history of supporting our Armed Services building many of the Royal Navy’s most famous ships.

"As the headline sponsor of AFD the dinner was the perfect opportunity to support Help for Heroes and raise money for a worthwhile and necessary cause.

"H4H is a charity that has done so much for our veterans especially here on Merseyside.

"We were pleased to be able to raise £20,000 and thank all our guests who gave so generously to support the lionhearted men and women who fight to protect us."

Speeches were made on the night by John Syvret, the Mayor of Wirral, and Help for Heroes ambassador Pete Dunning - a former Royal Marine from Wallasey who was badly injured in Afghanistan.

Pete spoke about his injuries and how Help for Heroes has helped and supported him through rehabilitation.

The charity raffle and auction featured golf days, signed Liverpool football shirts, trips to Ireland and VIP tickets to the launch of the Sir David Attenborough polar exploration ship in 2018.

Cammell Laird match funded the figure raised in the auction doubling it to £20,000.

Wirral's mayor Ann McLachlan said: "This was a magnificent sum of money raised for a very worthwhile cause.

"We were delighted to host the occasion at Wallasey Town Hall, and I would like to thank everyone who supported the event and gave so generously."

Jackie Crozier, Help For Heroes' North West regional manager, said: "Help for Heroes is hugely grateful to Cammell Laird for their amazing fundraising efforts.

"We rely heavily on the generous donations raised which directly helps rebuild lives.

"We'd like to thank everyone who took part for their amazing contribution to supporting our beneficiaries and hope everyone had lots of fun too!"