OUT of tragedy has come huge triumph as a Gwent couple have celebrated raising more than £1 million for charity.

Mandy and Bruce Womack, from Rhiwderin near Newport have run all kinds of fund raising events for the last for the last 32 years for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, including the annual vintage car rally at the city's Tredegar House.

The couple decided to dedicate themselves to this particular cause after Mandy’s son, Timothy was diagnosed with and eventually died from Leukaemia aged just six.

It has proved the driving force which has seen the couple raise funds through everything from jumble sales to discos, but the stand out even has been the vintage car rally, which this year attracted around 10,000 visitors to the one day event.

Mrs Womack, 65, says: "It was something that started small and just got quite big.

In the first year we ran the vintage car rally in 1980 we raised £635 and had 68 exhibitors. This year we had 1,500 exhibitors and raised nearly £51,000. We never imagined back then that it would get this big."

It means the total the couple have helped raise over 32 years of fundraising has now broken the million pound mark.

The modest couple are keen to praise the work of everyone they have fundraised with, without whom they stress none of the events would have been possible.

"Obviously we became involved with the charity after my son died but we have wanted to stay involved since and continue to try and help other families who might end up in the situation we found ourselves in.

"We are taking it year by year but we have begun planning for next year’s rally. It’s a real team effort."

Michaela James, Regional Fundraising Manager for Wales at Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, said: "We would like to say thank you to everyone who has helped us over the years, either by making donations, organising events, bringing an exhibit to the Rally or by coming to see the show as a visitor.

Also, a very big thank you to all those friends and supporters who have helped to make the Vintage Car Rally such a success."

If you would like find out about how to get involved as a volunteer on the Vintage Car Rally visit the website www.TredegarHouseRally.co.uk