TWO friends who joined forces to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care have raised more than £2,500.

Christine Greenall and Roselle Gorman — who herself has battled cancer — make handcrafted items including jewellery, cards, decorated jewellery boxes, knitted, ribbon and velour scarves to raise money for the charity, which provides care to terminally ill patients in their home or in hospices.

They both attend events throughout Bolton, such as farmers’ markets, and sell to friends at house parties.

The pair have now been praised for their fundraising efforts by Siobhan Heffernan, a representative of Marie Curie Cancer Care, after they raised £2,532 since the end of 2010.

Mrs Gorman, from Harwood, said: “I have had cancer twice and we have both had family and friends who have been touched by cancer in some way. We decided to do the fundraising as a joint venture at the end of 2010, then it really took off in 2011.

“My husband thinks he is a Marie Curie widow at times but he and my family and Christine’s family are very supportive of what we do.”

The women used to fundraise separately, with Mrs Greenall, of Wigan Road, raising enough money to provide a soft bedroom and garden play area for a boy with severe epilepsy and safe areas in his home. She was invited to the Queen’s Garden Party last year in recognition of her voluntary work.

Mrs Gorman has raised money for Unicef, Cancer UK, Macmillan, CLIC Sargent and other local charities, but mainly Marie Curie.

Her charitable efforts included a sponsored driving event where she drove a police car through a gruelling course and parked a large Post Office delivery van.

The women claim no costs for their work but welcome donations of materials, such as wool, to help make products.

They will be at Holland Garden Centre Farmers’ Market in Bromley Cross on the first Saturday of each month.