A COUPLE who entertained strangers at their home for a major hospital campaign have achieved five-times their fundraising target.

Ken, 79, and Sylvia Guyton, 82, invited people into their Walton home for tea and cakes to support Colchester Hospital’s Time Garden for terminally-ill patients.

Anxious about meeting their original £100 aim, donations racked in at £500.50, beating both their expectations.

It has also spurred them on to host a second event in the future.

Mr Guyton said: “There were three kettles on the go - it couldn’t have gone any better. We didn’t keep count of how many people came but we estimated roughly by the number of plates we’d used so I’d guess about 90.

“The majority were people we knew but there were quite a few strangers who arrived so myself and Sylvia made a point of being sociable so everyone felt welcome.

“Everyone sat outside on the lawn as it was such a gorgeous day and we nearly ran out of chairs at one point.”

A total of £160,000 is needed for the Palliative Care Team’s ambitious plans which will give bed-bound patients a private and relaxing space away from the ward.

The pair hand delivered a cheque to Caroline Bates, head of charity and fundraising to Colchester Hospitals Charity (CoHoC), who Mr Guyton said was “very well pleased”.

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