It has been a very busy year for the ladies of Soroptimists International Tenby as they have not only been celebrating their Diamond Jubilee, they have also been raising substantial sums for local charities.

Retiring president, Dr. Anne Kelly, chose the Harriet Davis Trust as her special charity of the year and the members have helped to raise the magnificent sum of £2,000 which was presented to fund-raiser Elizabeth Sleight at their jubilee dinner.

"I have been overwhelmed by the support of Soroptimists International Tenby," said Elizabeth. "The ladies have worked so hard this year to help us, with film nights, fashion shows and other events. This very generous donation will help refurbish our properties so we can provide the best respite holiday homes for disabled children, adults, their families and carers."

Elizabeth recently took Soroptimists Anne Kelly and Pam Maggs to meet Gregory Mott, from Haverfordwest, who was staying in Giltar View, one of the trust's houses in Tenby. Greg, now 24, has had many holidays with the Harriet Davis Trust with his family, but this visit was his first holiday in his own right. He was accompanied on his break by support workers Kimberley Bennett and Gareth Jones from Value Independence CIC, a Milford Haven based care agency which promotes self-esteem and confidence building in its client base and encourages independent living.

Value Independence director Jo Warden said: 'We have been supporting Greg for eight years now and it has been one of his dreams to go on holiday independently. The Harriet Davis Trust provides fantastic properties which meet all of Greg's needs, so with his development team to support him, we've been able to make that dream come true. When we focus on abilities, special things can happen."