A CHARD couple has raised £1,000 for cancer charities by asking people for donations instead of golden anniversary gifts.

Vic and Marleen Collins, of Grange Park, were “overwhelmed” by their friends’ generosity after they recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with friends and family.

The two donated £500 of the money to cancer charity Macmillan and the other half to Prostate Cancer UK.

Mr Collins said: “We were hoping for £600.

“We would have been over the moon with that.

“Our daughter came over from Australia and we celebrated together and she took us off to Paris for four days.”

When Vic and Marleen got back from Paris, they counted the money with their daughter, Victoria, who lives in Sydney.

“We are both from quite big families,” Mr Collins added.

“I was born in Chard and she (Marleen) was born in Ilminster. We are both from families of 10, so that might have helped.

“We asked for donations, but quite a few also gave us presents. We had a few donations of £50, it was all really really exciting.

“We are totally overwhelmed by the generosity of the people that came to our party.

“It is absolutely amazing.”

Vic and Marleen Collins presented representatives from both charities with the cheques at the end of last month, with area fundraiser Trevor Rogers attending from Prostate Cancer UK, and Macmillan representative Gary Tanner.

The couple were also supported by 15fifteen friends for the official handover.

Macmillan Cancer Support was founded in 1911 by Douglas Macmillan as the society for the Prevention and Relief of Cancer. The charity has since grown into the UK’s leading source of cancer support.

Prostate Cancer UK is Britain’s largest men’s health charity.

The Prostate Cancer Charity was founded in 1996 by Professor Jonathan Waxman. In 2012, they merged with Prostate Action and became Prostate Cancer UK.

For more information on Macmillan Cancer Support, visit www.macmillan.org.uk. For more information on the work of Prostate Cancer UK, visit prostatecanceruk.org.