AN international animal protection group set up to save bears and other animals from cruelty in China and Vietnam has thanked shoppers after it raised £1,200 at street collections in Wyre Forest this year.

The Worcestershire branch of Animals Asia has held collections in Kidderminster, Stourport and Bewdley over the last year - including a recent collection a Weavers Wharf in Kidderminster which raised nearly £220.

Christine Coldrick, Worcestershire co-ordinator for Animals Asia, said: "At our latest Kidderminster collection we raised £219.26, to add to over £1,000 from five previous collections in Kidderminster, Bewdley and Stourport.

"I would like to thank everyone in the area who has given so generously. The amount raised is amazing and I am truly grateful to all who have donated.

"Animals Asia was founded in 1998 to protect and rescue moon bears, who are kept in tiny cages and appalling conditions in China and Vietnam, so they can be used for the agonising extraction of bile from their gall bladders for use in Chinese medicine.

"Since then, the charity has extended its activities to the welfare of cats and dogs in China, where they are often abandoned and sometimes sold in meat markets, and to the protection of animals in the country's zoos and safari parks, where they often suffer abuse."

Anyone who would like to help with future fundraising in Worcestershire, can email chriscoldrick@gmail.com.

For more information, visit animalsasia.org.