FAMILY and friends raised more than £30,000 for charity in honour of builder Stuart Payne on what would have been his 50th birthday.

The Ginger Ball, at the Ageas Bowl, attracted 340 guests, including ex-Saint turned cancer research campaigner Francis Benali and his family.

Impressionist, comedian and presenter Mike Osman compered the event, which gave a £30,397.03 boost to DKMS and Blood Cancer UK.

READ MORE: PLANETS fundraising tops £1.8 million with '80s themed ball

Fresh from their Glastonbury success, classic soul and Motown band Freddie & The Freeloaders performed a rousing set of favourite tunes alongside Stuart's niece Millie Payne, nephew Joseph Phillips and family friend Georgia Bulley.

Stuart's wife Jo paid tribute to nurses and care staff at Southampton General Hospital's Oncology Ward who cared for her husband towards the end of his life. 12 members of the team were invited to attend the event for free and were gifted a week-long New Forest holiday from the auction.

Blood cancer specialist Professor Edd James and Stuart's brother Dr Richard Payne gave speeches at the ball, which was organised by  his sister Claire Payne through her events company Neon and Blush Weddings and Events.

Daily Echo:

Claire told the Daily Echo: "The amount of love in one room was incredible!

"We had a tremendous amount of support, sponsorship, and donations to create this ball. There really are a huge amount of kind people out there!"

Stuart was diagnosed with Follicular Lymphoma in 2013 and died in February last year, aged just 48.

Daily Echo:

More than 300 people lined the streets of Old Bursledon to watch Stuart's final journey to St Leonard's Church. Covid restrictions prevented a large funeral from taking place so family and friends dreamed up the idea of a charity ball in its place which would also mark his 50th birthday.

DKMS is an international charity dedicated to the fight against blood cancer and blood disorders.

Blood Cancer UK is a community dedicated to beating blood cancer by funding research and supporting those affected.

Pictures by Dave Dodge Photography

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