Generous party goers saw in the new millennium and raised cash for charity.

Anne and Gary Bloxham of Temple Close, Hadleigh, decided to hold a fancy dress New Year's Eve party with a difference and asked friends and family to create their look around the letter M for millennium.

Gary, 46, said: "We had Mexicans, mafia men and their molls. I was dressed as a Morris dancer and with a mate we performed a Morris dance for guests.

"We asked people to pay £15 per couple to cover food, drink and incidentals and ended up raising just over £1,000 for a special camera in the radiotherapy department of Southend Hospital."

Gary even had his much-loved moustache shaved off for charity while guests brought coin jars along to raise extra cash.

Gary said: "It is just enough to pay for and install a camera in the radiotherapy room so nurses can monitor patients during treatment.

"We had about 75 people at our house and the party went on all night until around 6am in the morning.

"We thought it would make a nice change to raise money for a good cause rather than all those other parties where people were being charged £50 just to go to a disco."

Caryl Shaw, radiotherapy services manager, said: "We are delighted these people have raised all this money.

Mr Bloxham said his wife, Anne, 46, along with three other women spent the better part of two months organising the big shin-dig.

He said: "All the thanks should go to my wife, Ann Fletcher, Pat Orme and Glynis Smith who put in so much effort putting the party together."

Cash - Gary Bloxham with some of the money raised by friends at the party held at his home in Hadleigh

Picture:STEPHEN LLOYD

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