THE Horrabridge Cavaliers’ annual Bottle Auction raised almost £1,500 for good causes.

Residents crowded into the London Inn to snap up the bargains and to enjoy an entertaining evening.

Members of the Cavaliers had been busy collecting bottles door-to-door in the village over the past two weeks and the residents donated more than 300 bottles for the auction.

Cavaliers’ vice chairman Trevor Smith, who organised this year’s event, said: ‘The community showed exceptional generosity in making the donations and it was really good that so many of them came to the London Inn for the event.’

The Horrabridge Cavaliers exist to support good causes in the village and the surrounding area. The money the group raises is used to support individuals and organisations in Horrabridge and the Cavaliers also offer manpower to carry out work that would otherwise be too difficult or too expensive to implement.

Mike Huda, landlord of the London Inn, turned the ground floor of the pub into an auction room for the evening. John Howells and Dave Scragg, the two auctioneers, had to work fast to cope with the lots on offer, ranging from soft drinks through craft beers to fine wines and spirits.

The annual Bottle Auction is the Cavaliers’ main fund-raising event, and this is the twelfth time it has been held. It began from a suggestion by the late John Taynton, and from small beginnings the amounts raised have grown steadily over the years. Total proceeds from the auctions now comfortably exceed £12,000.