AN afternoon tea at an Okehampton hairdressers with fizz and homemade cakes has raised more than £3,000 for the British Red Cross Crisis Appeal for Ukraine.

The event took place at Quinns on East Street last Saturday afternoon (May 7) with regulars and staff coming together for what was the first social occasion for a long time. As well as the refreshments, people enjoyed mini makeovers and bid for donated pre-loved quality clothes and shoes in a silent auction.

Salon owner Dawn Pitts was delighted with the total and the turnout to the event, which she put at about 60 people.

She said: ‘It was really a team decision to hold the event. It has been so horrendous watching the news and we wanted to do something to help. This was something we could do. We held the event over three hours, people arrived at 2 o’clock and we were finished by 5. They paid £10 to have afternoon tea, and between us we had 22 bottles of fizz!

‘The cakes were made by clients, people who heard about the event as well as the girls in the salon. We also had a raffle, and the raffle was supported by local businesses. It was lovely. It was really social.

‘About 90 per cent of the people there were regulars and had not seen each other for a long time. We had friends come from Tavistock which we had not seen for a long time. It was almost like a reunion.’

The sale has raised £3,126 so far, with three rails of clothing and some shoes still for sale in the salon, for a £5-10 donation towards the appeal.