A DRUG and rehabilitation charity based in Bury St Edmunds will benefit from a much-needed cash boost thanks to the support of a comedian.

Joe Pasquale appeared on an I’m a Celebrity edition of ITV’s Who Wants to be a Millionaire last week along ex-England cricketer Phil Tufnell to play for Focus12.

They won �75,000, a quarter of which is going to the charity, which is based in Risbygate Street.

Chip Somers, chief executive of Focus12, said Mr Pasquale had been a friend of the charity for some time and they had met at various events.

He said the charity was “very grateful” the comedian had chosen to support them through the show, adding that the national exposure was “always good”.

“From that point of view any coverage is really beneficial as it means more people hear about our services, and it’s really good people like Joe are prepared to support us in public,” he added.

Focus12 is also set to be boosted by thousands of pounds, thanks to the support of holiday price comparison website icelolly.com

Its chairman, Adrian Walton, from West Yorkshire, is setting sail from Barcelona today with a crew of two others on board a yacht. They aim to reach the West Indian island of Antigua on December 18.

Mr Walton said, after he became aware of Focus12, he was touched by their work and thought it would be a “fantastic cause” to support.

They have already raised more than �4,700.

Mr Somers said the charity – which costs about �50,000 a month to run – endured a constant struggle with money. Visit www.justgiving.com/AGWRacing