A MYSTERY donor who left a pot of spare change to a village fundraiser with the challenge “if you can count it, you can have it” ended up handing over more than £1,200.

Will Clarke

A MYSTERY donor who left a pot of spare change to a village fundraiser with the challenge “if you can count it, you can have it” ended up handing over more than £1,200.

Members of Beck Row Quilters Club, who were fundraising in the village community centre last week, were shocked but delighted when they received the gift.

They said a man dropped off the flower pot of cash and said it was all theirs if they could count all the coins.

After it was added up the anonymous donor had given in excess of £1,200 toward the community's fundraiser for the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

Tina Finbow, one of the seven quilters who where selling raffle tickets to win a quilt at the Beck Row Community Centre near Mildenhall, said: “It was incredible - it is great for the ambulance service.”

Pat Barker, president of the Beck Row Community Association, said: “We have no idea who it was - he declined to give his name - he just had this flower pot full of money and when we counted it, it was £1,260.63.

“It was amazing I can't imagine anyone keeping that much money in a pot.”

Pat Walpole, who won the quilt at the raffle, said she was absolutely thrilled to have won.

“It is a beautiful quilt and it is wonderful to have raised so much money - we could do with more people like that person.”

Alison Horsley, area fundraiser for the air ambulance, said: “I have been notified of the pot and I understand it significantly boost the effort in Beck Row.

“It costs around £3,000 per helicopter per day to run our aircraft. But that works out at just £1 per person per year.

“The bulk of our funds come from individual donors similar to this. So this money is essential and we would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the anonymous donor and the people of Beck Row.”

The two East Anglian Air Ambulances cover 5,000 sq miles of the East of England including some of its most rural and isolated terrain making the helicopters essential to reach the scene of accidents and emergencies quickly.

The cheque totalling more than £1,600, including £100 from the community association, will be given to the air ambulance at a ceremony on Saturday at 11am at Beck Row Community Association headquarters in Lamble Close.