Around 200 people flocked to Helensburgh Parish Church to support the Christian Aid Fair.

There were bargains galore at stalls selling homebaking, bric-a-brac, toys and jewellery and they managed to raise a total of £1,248 on the day.

This is a fantastic start to the fundraising for 2018, with £1,403 raised at the Helensburgh Chamber Orchestra Concert the week before.

Elizabeth Larbert, who helped organise the fundraiser, said: “The main fundraising events of the sponsored swim and the house-to-house envelope collection are taking place this week and we trust they will be well supported by the Helensburgh community.”

The sponsored swim took place at Helensburgh Swimming Pool on Thursday, May 17 from 6.30-8.30pm.

To raise money for the charity, swimmers were required to swim a whole length without holding on to the side of the pool.

The lengths were also counted by a person at the end of the lane.

This year’s slogan for the fundraising is “Stronger than Storms”.

Christian Aid’s strength comes from the volunteers and supporters, who together can help those in need, whatever storms come their way.

This has been demonstrated in Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world that has suffered from both earthquake and hurricane disasters in the last few years.

Christian Aid has been working with partner organisations in the area to rebuild homes, making sure that the new homes will be stronger than the original ones. They have also been working to make people stronger by improving healthcare, education and supporting women and other disadvantaged groups.

The Christian Aid week in Helensburgh will conclude with a thanksgiving service at Helensburgh URC on Sunday, May 20 at 7pm. All are welcome to attend.