CHARITIES are set to benefit after a country pub near Bromyard raised £6,000 at a birthday party for their cancer-battling landlord.

Norman Whittall from the Three Horseshoes Inn, Little Cowarne, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018 and will donate almost £1,000 to Ledbury-based charity RoboCap, who helped bring robotic cancer treatment to the Three Counties.

More than 100 guests attended a fundraising evening in March for Mr Whittall’s 70th birthday party where over £5,000 was donated. A fundraising cribbage drive held on Good Friday then raised a further £400 for good causes.

The village will benefit from the money raised as a new defibrillator will be installed on the wall outside the pub, as well as a donation to the village hall and church.

Norman and Janet Whittall have been trading for 30 years at The Three Horseshoes, but they didn’t think the amount raised on the evening would be as much as it was.

Mrs Whittall said: “We thought it would only be a couple of thousand pounds, one thousand for the defibrillator and one thousand for Prostate Cancer UK.

“Our suppliers for the business, friends and customers were very generous and enable the auction to raise as much as it did.

“The money first went to the defibrillator for the village, then Prostate Cancer as Norman has been suffering. I wanted to give some to the MacMillan Renton Unit as that’s where Norman goes for his treatment.

“And also St. Michael’s Hospice, we’re great believers in local charities as opposed to national ones. We gave to local amenities as well, the church and the village hall. They’re part of our village, they’re important amenities.”

Mrs Whittall also thanked local businesses such as Wye Valley Brewery, Total Produce and Robinsons Cider who supported the auction on the evening of the party, as well as others who provided raffle prizes.

A donation of £1,000 will go to Prostate Cancer UK, but local charities St. Michael’s Hospice and the MacMillan Renton Unit at Hereford County Hospital will also benefit.