A SPECIAL dinner night at an Ipswich restaurant raised £850 to help people struck by the devastating cyclone in Bangladesh.The evening at the Dhaka Restaurant, Orwell Place, Ipswich, was the latest in a series of events to raise money for the ABC Appeal launched by the area's Bangladeshi community and supported by a wide range of organisations, including companies, councils, banks, Ipswich Town, civic leaders and the police, and the media.

A SPECIAL dinner night at an Ipswich restaurant raised £850 to help people struck by the devastating cyclone in Bangladesh.

The evening at the Dhaka Restaurant, Orwell Place, Ipswich, was the latest in a series of events to raise money for the ABC Appeal launched by the area's Bangladeshi community and supported by a wide range of organisations, including companies, councils, banks, Ipswich Town, civic leaders and the police, and the media.

One of the main aims is to fund the complete reconstruction of one of the villages destroyed by the cyclone last November.

The evening at the Dhaka raised £850 to add to around £1,150 already raised by staff at the venue.

A spokesman said: “We had about 70 people on the night and it was a very successful occasion.

“Everyone seemed to have a really good time and we are very pleased with the money raised.

“We want to do everything possible to help the people who were hit by the cyclone to get their lives together again.”

Fundraisers say every penny makes a huge difference - £5 can buy a family food for a day, £10 pays for medical needs for a whole family, £20 provides clothing for a family, £50 for a household water purifier, £100 pays for a temporary shelter for a family and just £300 for a permanent family shelter.

The next events in the programme are dinner nights at the Gandhi Restaurant, St Peter's Street, Ipswich, on Tuesday April 29; and Bombay Nite, Walton High Street, Felixstowe, on Tuesday May 6.

Further events will be held at the Maharani, Norwich Road, Ipswich, and Mumbai in Coachman Court, Ipswich.

The cyclone killed 15,000 people, damaged more than two million acres of crops and killed 1.25 million livestock.

The Bangladesh government estimates nearly one billion dollars will be needed to rebuild the infrastructure and restore livelihoods.

Are you helping with the fundraising - call the Newsdesk on 01473 324788 with details of events.