A HOST of celebrities, including comedian Jennifer Saunders, former English cricket captain David Gower, former Machester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes attended the BGC charity day in Canary Wharf in aid of West Devon children's charity CHICKS.

The star-studded event raised around $12-million globally for charities, with Brentor-based CHICKS being one of the beneficiaries.

The event, organised by global brokerage company BGC Partner's Inc, was held on the trading floors of their office on Thursday, September 11 in commemoration of the lives lost in the 9/11 attacks.

Jennifer Saunders said: 'I've had a fantastic day raising funds and awareness for CHICKS, which is very close to my heart.

'To be able to remember and honour those who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks while supporting such a wide array of charities is fantastic.

It's been a very busy and atmospheric day and I'm confident lots of money has been raised to ensure these incredible organisations can continue their vital work.'

CHICKS is a national children's charity that provides free respite breaks for disadvantaged children at its retreats in Devon and Cornwall.

Tim Bunting, head of fundraising and communications at CHICKS, said: 'I'd like to say a big thank to to BGC Partners for a wonderful day and for kindly inviting CHICKS to be a part of it.

'On behalf of the entire charity, I'd also like to say thank you to our fantastic patrons Jennifer Saunders, David Gower and Sir Ranulph Fiennes for representing CHICKS.

'We are extremely privileged to have patrons like these who are willing to give up their time to support the charity and who share our vision of providing disadvantaged children with the opportunity to feel valued.'

David Gower said: 'I'm delighted to be here at the BGC charity day as a representative of CHICKS.

'It's been a wonderful day and it's been great fun raising money for so many fantastic organisations while remembering those who lost their lives in the 9/11 tragedy.'

Other celebrity guests included HRH Princess Beatrice, musician Jools Holland and actor Samuel L Jackson.

To find out more about CHICKS, visit http://www.chicks.org.uk">www.chicks.org.uk or call 01822 811020.