WEST Devon pentathlete Heather Fell was among the top guests at a 'sporting heroes' dinner and charity auction held at St Mellion International Resort golf club in St Mellion.

Around 100 people attended the event, which was supported by members of the local farming community as well as leading businesses from the agricultural sector; it raised £3,000 for the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution.

'It's in everyone's interests to ensure we have a strong agricultural industry' — that was the message from Olympic gold medallist Ed Coode, who was guest speaker.

In addition to Ed, a member of the British team which won gold in the coxless-fours at the 2004 Athens Olympics, celebrity guests included Olympic silver medalist pentathlete Heather Fell from Tavistock, and Vin Cox, who lives in St Austell and holds the Guinness word record for circumnavigating the world by bicycle.

The event, which was also attended by RABI's chief executive Paul Burrows and Cornwall Council chairman Pat Harvey, was sponsored by Savills property consultants and Coodes solicitors, for whom Ed now works.

Auction lots donated for the evening included a football signed by 31 members of Manchester United's current football squad, and a short-break in a luxury holiday cottage on the Trelowarren Estate in Cornwall.

Ed Coode said: 'Living in the South West, I'm especially aware of how important farming is to the local economy and I'm pleased to help raise money for RABI, which helps farming families who have fallen on hard times. It's in all our interests to ensure we have a strong agricultural industry and do everything we can to support it.'