MORE than £20,000 has been raised for local and national cancer charities thanks to an online auction.

The Broughton Farmers Charity Dance held the sale earlier this year and has now announced that it raised £22,000 which it has shared between 14 organisations.

More than 70 items were auctioned off online by the dance committee including a pedigree Leicester ewe lamb, donated by Dawyck Livestock; a four-night stay at The Old Mill Cottage in Blyth Bridge, courtesy of Clare and Stuart Dickson; a limited edition print by local artist Claire Wilson; and a day’s partridge shooting for eight guns at Haystoun, donated by Mrs Coltman of the Haystoun Estate.

Although this year the Broughton Farmers Dance wasn’t able to return, committee members are hopeful the event, which has been run for almost 60 years, will be back in full in the future.

At last year’s auction, the Broughton community raised £19,000 for cancer charities.

As well as running the auction this year, the Broughton Farmers Charity Dance also opened a Just Giving page for those who wanted to donate to the fundraiser after the close of the auction. The charities the dance committee chose to make donations to are: St Andrew’s Hospice; Marie Curie Hospice; CHAS Robin House; CHAS Rachel House; Maggies Centre; Lanarkshire Cancer Care Trust; Beatsons Cancer Charity; Lavender Touch; The Haven; Margaret Kerr; Ukraine Medicine; BGH Cancer Ward; Calums Cabin and LoveOliver.