GENEROUS guests at a charity ball dug deep and raised £8,615 for an education trust that is working in Ghana.

The TechAid Charity Ball, held at The Hampshire Court Hotel, on Friday evening, was organised by Exertis, one of the country’s leading distributors of IT, communication and home entertainment products in the UK, to support The Sabre Trust.

The charity, which works in the west African country, aims to build a brighter future for marginalised and disadvantaged children, working in partnership with the Ghana Education Service.

The money raised on the night, with support of vendors and the local community, goes towards more than £60,000 raised for Exertis’ TechAid initiative to help fund the development of the OLA Kindergarten Centre of Excellence in Ghana, which opened last September.

The evening was hosted by Simon Woodman, Exertis sales director – mobile, based at Chineham Business Park.

He welcomed more than 115 guests from world leading companies such as the event’s main sponsor Dell, along with the likes of Microsoft and Samsung.

Among the guests was the CEO of Dell UK, Tim Griffin, accompanied by Dell executive director of UK sales Sarah Shields.

Praising Exertis and TechAid, she said: “The great work you are doing raising funds for The Sabre Trust makes a massive difference to help those who are less fortunate than ourselves.”

During the evening, guests enjoyed a three-course meal, along with a silent auction, raffle and a heads and tails game, where prizes ranged from weekend stays in private holiday villas in the South of France and the Costa Blanca, to smart phones and smart TVs, laptops and a PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, along with hospitality tickets to see Manchester City v Aston Villa.

They were also able to boost the fundraising by placing their bets on two casino tables playing Black Jack and Roulette.

The evening’s guest speaker was Aubrey Malcolm-Green, co-founder of The Sabre Trust, who spoke of the work of the charity.

Over-the-moon with the evening’s fundraising efforts, Mr Malcolm-Green, said: “It was fantastic. It’s been a brilliant evening. The money is going to change lives. It’s a long term initiative. It’s not just a quick fix, it is laying the foundations for the future.”