A crowd of 260 people raised approximately $35,000 on the night which will go to the Macleay Valley Diabetes Group to continue its work in the local community.

There were raffles, auctions, wigs, teddy bears, balloons and a room-full of colour as friends and family celebrated a great cause.

Locals dug deep for the auction which saw prizes such as an Akubra hat sell for $1100 and a night’s accommodation that went for $1200.

Speaking to the Argus, Macleay Valley Diabetes Group president Scott Welsh applauded everyone who made the event a success.

“The night was a great success, everyone had a great time and a big thanks to all the local businesses and members of the community who got involved,” he said.

Over the years Macleay Valley Coast Diabetes has raised in excess of $180,000.

Continuing to raise these funds each year has helped put local kids on insulin pumps at the cost of over $10,000 each, held local camps for the kids to attend, organised trips away, purchased and donated a continual glucose monitoring system for the Kempsey Hospital and also for 11 local children living with type 1 diabetes and has purchased medial ID bracelets for 16 children with type 1 diabetes.

“The group could not achieve what it does without all of the local community and surrounding areas support we receive and we are so truly grateful” Mr Welsh said. 

“We are helping raise money to support those in our local area living with type 1 diabetes and the money stays here within the community.”

“With the continued support from those attending this night, all the sponsors and those who have donated in any way to this major fundraising event we can keep offering all these wonderful opportunities plus much more to our local kids and their families”.