ORGANISERS at this year's Kesgrave Music Festival are today celebrating after a record £18,500 was raised for St Elizabeth Hospice.More than 4000 people attended the second annual music spectacular on Saturday which included performances from 23 bands.

ORGANISERS at this year's Kesgrave Music Festival are today celebrating after a record £18,500 was raised for St Elizabeth Hospice.

More than 4000 people attended the second annual music spectacular on Saturday which included performances from 23 bands. There were also plenty of fun activities on offer, such as face painting and bouncy castles.

The festival is held in memory of Kesgrave woman Kate Moyes, who died in 2005 aged 29 after a battle with cancer.

The date chosen for the festival would have been Kate's birthday and all money raised is donated to the St Elizabeth Hospice, which cared for her.

Last year £12,500 was raised, and even though organisers expected to top this, they were surprised by this year's final amount.

Organiser Debbie McCallum said: “The event obviously cost more to put on but we still managed to top last year's total by £6000. We were very, very pleased with how it went. It was a real community day.

“The weather was superb and the diversity of ages was amazing-both young and old came for a boogie.

“We couldn't estimate how many people turned up but the field was full and we know from ticket sales, it must have been more than 4000.”

As well as a main stage of music, this year saw the introduction of a Live Lounge inside the Kesgrave community centre, which involved a number of acts performing acoustic sets and gave visitors a chance to cool down away from the baking sun.

Are you raising money for a worthy cause? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk