Nearly £1,000 raised for Newbury’s Waterside Centre at Newbury Racecourse party attended by Denise van Outen

Nearly £1,000 was raised for a youth community centre at Newbury’s Christmas light switch on afterparty which was attended by television personality Denise van Outen.

The party took place at Newbury Racecourse last November with Miss van Outen playing a headline DJ set to the hundreds of guests who attended the sold-out event.

As well as being a celebration, the party was also a fundraiser for the Waterside Centre, one of Berkshire Youth’s flagship community centres.

All proceeds from the evening – totalling £930.03 – were donated to the centre, which provides a safe place for young people in West Berkshire to access support whilst providing a hub for the local community around Newbury to connect and network.

The centre offers a broad range of activities and opportunities for young people, including paddle and water sports, climbing, boxing and youth clubs as well as dance, art and music.

Newbury Racecourse chief executive Shaun Hinds visited Waterside to make the donation in person.

He said: “We are delighted to be able to make a donation to such a brilliant local cause.

“The Waterside Centre is a fantastic facility, benefiting so many young people and it’s been a privilege for us to get to know some of the team and in our own small way, make a donation to help the centre continue their great work.’’

Berkshire Youth CEO Sarah Emery said: “I'm a firm believer in it taking ‘a village to raise a child’, or a town to raise young people and here in Newbury we’re really lucky that we receive support from a number of businesses and organisations.

“The donation from Newbury Racecourse is absolutely vital for us.

“It helps us keep our doors open and at a time where funding has never been lower for youth services, it’s essential for us and for the young people of Newbury and we're incredibly grateful.”