A CHARITY family fun day hosted by the region’s largest building society has raised well over £2,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Staff at Newcastle Building Society (NBS) held its annual family fun day at its Cobalt offices in North Tyneside and raised more than £2,400 for the charity, which the Newcastle’s staff recently voted for as its Charity of the Year.

Over 350 staff attended the event, which showcased the talents of the acclaimed Kingsmen Sword Dancers – a Northumbrian rapper sword dancing group, and also included hip hop dance classes, a bungee run and a dog show.

However, one of the most popular events was the medieval-style stocks where some executives were brave enough to take a soaking.

Head of corporate social responsibility for NBS Gillian Tiplady was delighted with the turnout and the total raised.

She said: “We’re thrilled that the event went so well. People were relaxing around our lake taking in the glorious weather while others took part in some of the physical events we had on offer.

“Most of the children had their faces painted then sat in the storytime tepee where our friends from Seven Stories, the Centre for Children’s Books, read popular children’s books.”

Kelly Knighting-Wykes, fundraising manager for Macmillan Cancer Support was impressed with the level of support the charity received.

“I was caught up in the atmosphere, which was fantastic; what a lot of fun the staff had and the kids loved the activities,” she said.