BUSINESSES and residents have come together to raise more than £3,300 for charity.

The charity, Give a Kidney, raises awareness about non-directed kidney donation, in which a healthy person donates one of their kidneys to someone in need.

The money was raised at a special event which took place at the Supermarine Sports and Social Club, Swindon, and was hosted by local businesses The Sales and Marketing Hub and Kam's Motor Clinic.

The event was a sell-out with 250 tickets being snapped up by lucky locals who wanted to enjoy an evening of floor-filling tunes from Bhangra to Bollywood and a delicious hot Punjabi buffet.

In addition to the £2,500 raised on the night, a further £850 is expected from Barclays Bank thanks to the fundraising support of Charanjit Dhaliwal of Barclays, West Swindon Branch.

Jasie Rai, from The Sales and Marketing Hub, who only has one kidney herself and may need a transplant, organised the event.

She said: “East Meets West has happened by accident and I am truly overwhelmed by the support and donations from local businesses, friends and family, who have taken it from strength-to-strength. It’s a fun event for all bringing people and East/West culture, food and music together for a great cause and it is becoming more and more popular. We’ve already set a date for our 2017 event.”

Other local businesses involved in supporting the event included: Asset Guardian Company, Castles Estate Agents, CentraHeat, Corin Design, Exploreworld, Francis George Solicitor- Advocate, Ideal Displays, MLL Print and Digital, Mortgage Advice Bureau, DC Computers, Thermographic Consultancy Limited, and Utility Warehouse as well as those businesses who supported the raffle and auction with prizes.

Jan Shorrock of Give a Kidney said: “Enormous thanks once again to Jasie and to everyone who contributed to this magnificent effort. There are currently around 5500 people on the waiting list for a kidney transplant in the UK, and around 300 people die each year whilst waiting. Humans only need one kidney so if more healthy people came forward to give theirs, more lives could be saved. In the UK almost 500 people have donated a kidney to someone they do not know.

We're very grateful to Jasie for creating this event which will help us towards our vision that one day there will be no-one in the UK waiting for a transplant for want of a kidney.”