Wigan couple's secret charity effort at wedding anniversary party

Susan and Glenn Hornby, from Winstanley, held a party at The Swinley and were joined by more than 200 friends and relatives.

They planned to hold a fun raffle with some quirky prizes for their guests and intended to hand out free tickets as they arrived.

But instead they decided to help make a difference by selling them for £1 a strip in aid of a good cause.

A host of prizes were donated, including tickets to see Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors.

There was even a space hopper and Blue Peter badge up for grabs in a surprise parcel as the couple grew up in the 1970s.

But the charity they were supporting was kept secret - as the woman running it was among the guests and they wanted it to be a massive surprise.

Maureen Holcroft is a long-standing friend of the couple and founder of Daffodils Dreams, which works with under-privileged children and families.

Susan, 53, said: “We wanted it to be a nice surprise because we knew she would never expect it.

“We got Maureen to draw the tickets. I think she was a bit overwhelmed.”

The raffle raised £185 for the charity.

Susan, who has two children and a grandson, said: “We wanted to help a friend. Maureen works so hard for the children and to get the profile of Daffodils Dreams out there and I knew there would be a lot of people at the party who may not have known Maureen.”

Maureen said she had no idea the raffle was in aid of Daffodils Dreams until it was announced at the party by Susan, who works at the DW Stadium.

She was very touched that the Hornbys decided to support her charity while celebrating their milestone anniversary.

“Susan has been so supportive, and her husband, and they are continuing to try to support me and spread the word of Daffodils Dreams,” she said.

“I was so overwhelmed that they actually thought about doing anything for Daffodils Dreams on their special occasion celebrating 25 years of happy marriage.

“They are a lovely, happy couple and I was just overwhelmed. I was speechless.”