A CARING couple's bumper berry haul has raised thousands of pounds to help cancer sufferers.

Bob and Ilse Splaine have held an annual strawberry fayre at their home in Cumberland Road, Atherton, since 1992 in aid of Manchester's Christie's Hospital.

This year's takings proved to be their biggest ever, £600 more than last year after their back-breaking efforts to pick 145lbs of the summer fruit.

And the yearly gala now proves so popular that the Splaine's have had to extend their selling-pitch, using their next door neighbours garden as well as their own.

The fayre raised £1,660 for the cancer hospital's centenary appeal and means that since the couple first started their strawberry sales they have raised £6,660.

Retired Royal Mail manager Bob, 64, said: "We have always had fantastic support from friends, family and neighbours. As soon as the fayre's finished people are asking when the next one will be.

"Ilse does much of the work. This year she made 12 strawberry flans and two kiwi fruit flans."

The couple began their fundraising activities for the cancer hospital following German-born Ilse's successful treatment for cancer, 11 years ago.

A Kearsley-based fruit farm gave the couple a price-busting deal whereby they paid out 55p per lb of picked strawberries which they then sold for £1 per lb. A raffle and more than £300 in small personal donations swelled the final figure, ensuring it was couple's best ever charity takings. Bob added: "It's back-breaking work, there's no doubt about it but we had finished picking the fruit in four hours.

"We were really delighted when we totted up the money and found we had made so much. We just hope that in the year 2000 we can collect £2,000."

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