COMMUNITY spirit saved the day last week, after thieves stole charity money collected over two years from a Buckland Monachorum pub.
A giant whisky bottle had been full to the brim with donations for Cancer Research UK made by the patrons of The Drake Manor Inn.
Devastated by the theft, which occurred in the early hours of October 2, landlady Mandy Robinson was determined to recoup the money so she staged a quiz and auction on the evening the money was due to be counted.
In previous years, the local committee of Cancer Research UK undertook the counting whilst the patrons swelled the amount with a raffle and guess the content event.
After hearing about the theft and Mandy's plans, local people donated so many prizes for a raffle that she decided to hold an auction of some of the larger items.
The total raised during the evening, plus anonymous donations of more than £200, amounted to £600.
Committee member Barbara Greig said one in three people were affected by cancer in their lifetime and it would probably have taken three people to lift the whisky bottle.
'Cancer Research UK is totally dependent on subscription so this loss when every penny counts is very upsetting,' she said.
'However the publicly spirited residents of Buckland Monachorum showed that they were not going to let us down in our quest to help raise funds for this genuinely essential work, for which we are truly grateful.'