DORSET'S first festival dedicated to Indian food and culture raised over £2,000 for a Poole-based hospice.

The Dorset Indian Mela attracted crowds of over 3,000 people to Poole Park last month, who enjoyed food stalls, henna painting, traditional dancing, live music, a bouncy slide and raffles.

It aimed to raise as much money as possible for Forest Holme Hospice Charity, which is based in Seldown Road and offers specialist care to people with advanced cancer and other life-limiting illnesses.

Residents were also given the chance to travel the diverse tastes of India without having to step onto a plane.

Bibin Venuanth, event director for the Dorset Indian Mela, said: “We were delighted to bring the Indian communities of Dorset together to present Dorset’s first Indian food festival.

"India has many diverse cultures and it has given us immense satisfaction to share these with the local community.

"All the participants and volunteers have taken great pride in being able to serve for a noble cause and are proud to say we raised £2,074.30 for Forest Holme Hospice Charity."

Forest Holme Hospice Charity supports Forest Holme, which is part of Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and is reliant on the support of the community to fund the care they offer to people living across Poole, Wimborne and Purbeck.

The charity must raise £500,000 of voluntary donations each year to continue running their dedicated facility which offers 12 inpatient beds, outpatient services, counselling, teaching and development facilities.

Becky Chalk, fundraiser for Forest Holme Hospice Charity, said: "The Dorset Indian Mela was a great opportunity to try some fabulous Indian food, while raising money for Forest Holme Hospice.

"We are incredibly grateful to the Dorset Indian Community for their hard work and support to help patients and families living with life-limiting illnesses through the most difficult time of their lives."

For more information about Forest Holme Hospice please visit: www.forestholmehospice.org.uk