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The Purple Mango Indian Restaurant in New England was bursting at the seams on Wednesday evening when it provided the venue for a charity casino might.

The black tie event was organised by The Best of Haverhill and Paul Donno & Co Ltd to raise money for St Nicholas Hospice Care as part of the Towergate Accumulator Challenge that Paul Donno & Co Ltd are taking part in.

The Accumulator Challenge involves around 40 other West Suffolk companies who are all competing to raise the most money for the hospice in a three month period which ends at noon on September 23.

The Charity casino night, the third fund raiser in th accumulator challenge, was a great success. Over 100 people packed into the Purple Mango to enjoy a two-course Indian buffet and to try their luck at the roulette and black jack tables.

Local entertainment company Circuit Entertainments provided the gaming tables and croupiers and owner Eric Armstrong amazed everyone during the evening with his magical card tricks.

Paul Donno said: “Thanks to the generosity of local business people we raised £1,680 for St Nicholas Hospice Care through ticket sales, a mini-auction and raffle and the sale of extra chips for the tables.

"I am very grateful to everyone who donated prizes for the auction and the raffle - we had some fantastic prizes and raised nearly £550 on the raffle alone.

"I thoroughly enjoyed the night – the venue was great, the food excellent and the casino was fun. Even though Lady Luck wasn’t with me she was with my mum!” Val Donno collected the £50 cash prize for the highest winnings.

Paul Donno & Co Ltd has now raised £2,299 for the Accumulator Challenge as a result of their charity golf day in July, balloon race at Glemsford Festival and the charity casino night.

The next event to raise money for the challenge will be the St Nicholas Hospice Girls Night Out which involves an 11.2-mile night-time walk around Bury St Edmunds.

Paul Donno & Co already has a team of five ladies who will be doing the walk and the money they raise will count towards the challenge. They are looking for more volunteers to join the team – if you would like to take part please contact Louise Craig on 01787 281688.

The charity casino night was such a success that the organisers are planning to make it an annual event.

Elaine Carr from The Best of Haverhill said: “When we decided to hold the charity casino night in August we weren’t sure how well attended it would be because of the holiday season.

"We were pleasantly surprised at how well the tickets sold. There is definitely a place for this type of event in the social calendar.

"Next year we will limit the ticket sales and seek to increase the number of gaming tables to give everyone a greater opportunity to participate in the fun!”