A CANCER charity has been given a meaty cheque after a rugby-mad local pub wanted to aid their cause.

The Fatboys Cancer Charity, set up in memory of Swindon police officer Mike Lawless following his death in 1999, was the beneficiary of £1,000 raised through meat raffles at the New Calley Arms pub, in Wanborough, over the past year.

Pub landlord Simon Coakes said they decided to help the cause after seeing a story in the Adver about the charity’s annual fundraising Day of Lawlessness rugby match earlier this month.

He said: “They are a local charity that helps children and we had the money from the meat raffle we wanted to donate. We normally ask the punters what they reckon and this year my partner, Lesley Berry, saw the story in the Adver about the rugby fundraiser so she wanted to give it to them.

“They are a great cause.”

Looey Law, a committee member of Fatboys, which mainly helps children with cancer, said he was delighted to receive the money.

He said: “As a result of what went in the Adver, the pub wanted to give us the funds from their meat raffle. It was £1,000, which is a fantastic amount. We usually go up there on the day before a trip to Twickenham for breakfast so it was nice of them to help the charity.

“We are really grateful to everyone who put money in and it will really help the kids at Christmas.”