THE Macmillan Windmill Appeal received a wonderful early Christmas present this week with the presentation of a cheque for a whopping £25,000 from the Queendeans group.

This is the largest cheque donation made to the appeal so far and sets it up superbly to reach its target in the millennium.

The Queendeans are a group of nine members who, under the chairmanship of Pat Mancini, work tirelessly raising funds for many local charities.

They raised this magnificent sum in a number of quite different ways such as golf days, cabaret nights, coffee mornings and collections.

They also still carry out collections at the Queens Hotel, Blackpool where the group was formed more than 60 years ago. The group have always generously supported the Victoria Hospital, raising funds for the MRI scanner, the heart unit and children's wards. Macmillan Windmill Appeal deputy director Elaine Fossett said: "Never has so much been raised by so few for the benefit of so many. It is typical of the generosity so frequently displayed by the group to Victoria Hospital and many other charities.

"This extremely generous cheque is both a wonderful Christmas present for 1999 and a superb incentive for the Millennium.

"Thank you Queendeans for this truly special and generous gift."

If you would like to organise an event to raise money for the Macmillan Windmill Appeal contact Ramesh Gandhi or Elaine Fossett on (01253) 303121.

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