Star cast brings in £70,000

Jonathan Ansell, Paul McGann, Patricia Routledge and Dean Gaffney were among the big names at the evening of comedy, readings and music at the Chichester Festival Theatre, hosted by Christopher Timothy and Peter Davison.

Performances from Joe McGann, Susannah Harker, Anne Reid and Geraldine James, helped to fill the theatre to capacity and woo the delighted audience who gave extra donations to the hospice. One lucky audience member also won a prize draw for a car.

The gala was the highlight of a year of celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of the hospice. St Wilfrid's fundraising and public relations co-ordinator, Jill Dennison, said: 'It was such a great evening with a wonderful atmosphere.'

The 30-strong cast made sure the birthday gala went off with a bang with the performances forming the main celebrations.

But the evening was also littered with stories about St Wilfrid's Hospice, which brought the importance of the evening back into focus.

'It was not just about entertainment and celebrations but also about the work of the hospice itself,' the fundraiser said.

Gala director Joe Hermston told the Observer he was thrilled that the event was such a huge success.

'I think the surprise hits of the evening were String Fever and Teatro who opened the show,' he said. 'But there is no doubt that Jonathan Ansell was hugely popular. One of the highlights on his performance was when he had his foot up on one of the speakers and was singing Volare to an 85-year-old woman who absolutely loved it.

'The whole evening just went extremely well.'