THE Sparkle Appeal has been given a boost of £4,000 after a fundraising event at Chepstow Racecourse.

A special fundraising event held last June raised £20,000 for five Welsh NHS trusts and on Wednesday the Sparkle Appeal received £4,000 from the race day.

The proceeds from the evening, which included cash from a celebrity auction and sponsored VIP facilities, was shared between four other trusts which included Cardiff and the Vale, Velindre, Bro Morgannwg and the Wales Ambulance Service - which will put its share into the Welsh Air Ambulance Charitable Trust.

We launched the Sparkle Appeal to raise £250,000 towards a £6m children's centre last December and the £4,000 from the race day adds to money collected from local business and local people.

More than 5,000 enjoyed the first Welsh Hospitals Race day. Steve Clare, executive director of Chepstow Racecourse, said: "We are delighted to have been able to help the Trusts in their fundraising efforts, and with the success of this first event of its kind we look forward to building on it this year."

The 2004 event will take place at the evening meeting on Monday, June 21.