There were prizes, pies and plenty of eyes down at Bridport Primary School as families played their way to raising more than £350 for charity. A community bingo night proved a full house hit as dozens turned out to support Dorset’s Weldmar Hospicecare.

The event, held on Friday at Bridport Primary School, which is part of the Initio Learning Trust, welcomed around 50 adults and children who raised a total of £358. The funds will go to Weldmar Hospicecare, a local charity providing specialist end-of-life care.

The evening saw families gather for games, laughter and hot dogs, with refreshments and snacks on sale throughout the night. Pupils’ families contributed chocolates, bottles and toiletries as prizes, while generous support from local businesses helped create a prize table brimming with variety.

Among the donations were:

• Family swim vouchers for Bridport Leisure Centre and Freshwater Beach Holiday Park
• A soft play voucher for Seal’s Cove
• Entry for four to Farmer Palmer’s Farm Park
• Tickets to Abbotsbury Swannery
• A £10 voucher for Groves Nurseries
• Passes to The Tank Museum
• A voucher for Cherries of Abbotsbury
• A preserves voucher from The Cherry Tree
• A meal for four at The Bridport Arms
• Brewery tour vouchers from Palmers Brewery
• Annual membership for Lyme Regis Museum

The bingo evening was organised as part of the school’s wider efforts to support Weldmar Hospicecare. Earlier this academic year, pupils and staff decorated a fibreglass memory elephant, later named Rolo, as part of the ‘Stampede by the Sea’ art trail. The project features 60 elephants on display across Bridport, West Bay and Lyme Regis throughout the spring.

Headteacher Michaela Kite said: “Our bingo evening was a great success and it was a pleasure to see our school community come together for some fun and laughter and to raise money for Weldmar Hospice.

“We are very grateful to local businesses for supporting us with some wonderful prizes, to our families for their donations and, my special thanks to Flo, Gill and Anne for their efforts in organising the event.

“At Bridport Primary School, we are incredibly proud to be supporting our local hospice and we look forward to hosting more events that help good causes in our local community.”