MUSIC, singing, tea and cake kept hundreds of people entertained at an event to raise money for a charity which supports women suffering from a painful and incurable condition.

More than £1,400 was raised for Endometriosis UK at The Tea Bar on Saturday where hundreds of people enjoyed an afternoon of entertainment.

The event, held during Endometriosis Awareness Month, was also used to raise awareness of the condition, which affects one in 10 women in the UK.

Local acts gave up their time to entertain on stage, with performances from Rob Hayes, Holly Reedman and Jason Gregory and the Basingstoke Rock Choir, led by Glen Harvey.

Funds were raised through donations and raffle ticket sales, with prizes donated by local businesses, including Oakley Hall, The Red Lion Hotel, M.I Mobile Beauty, Dru Can Do and Valerie’s Cakes and Cupcakes.

The top prize on offer was a three-course dinner party for four from The Two Home Dining – Hampshire, donated by organiser Emily Brown’s brother, Max Roberts.

Emily gave a speech on stage about endometriosis, explaining how it has affected her since being diagnosed last July.

She said: “It takes on average over seven years for women to receive a diagnosis, and this is just too long. It means that the disease may become worse during this time, and then becomes very difficult and complicated to treat.”

Emily explained that endometriosis means women bleed internally, but the blood has no way of leaving the body and so causes adhesions and scar tissue, resulting in inflammation and pain.

She added: “The symptoms are embarrassing to talk about, which is perhaps why so few people have heard of this illness. They include heavy, painful periods, chronic fatigue, bowel problems, painful intercourse, fertility problems and pelvic pain.

“For some women, it can completely devastate their lives. Imagine having an illness which prevents you from leading a normal life, but which you feel unable to tell anyone about, and which is a hidden illness, meaning no one has a clue you are suffering because you look normal.

“To add to this, there are many misconceptions about endometriosis. People often think it means that women suffer with a painful period each month. But for me, and for many of the women who suffer from endometriosis, the pain is almost constant.”

The 31-year-old, from Cranbourne, said after the event: “It went better than I could have ever imagined and I can’t believe how much money was raised. I want to thank everyone for coming along to support it, those who performed on stage, donated a raffle prize, sold raffle tickets and, of course, The Tea Bar for allowing us to use the venue.

“I’ve been running a support group for women in Basingstoke with endometriosis since January and it was great for us to have something positive to focus on.

They did an amazing job sourcing prizes and selling raffle tickets.

“My family and friends have also been incredibly supportive and my parents, sister and husband worked so hard selling hundreds of raffle tickets. I couldn’t have done it without their support.

“Hopefully we have also made more people aware of what endometriosis is so that women don’t have to suffer in silence and people recognise the symptoms of the condition.”