A THREE-COURSE meal attended by 69 people in St Austell has raised £900 for charity.

Home-cooked food, including melon boats, roast chicken and a selection of desserts, was served as part of St John’s with Trinity (Trewoon) Methodist Church’s fundraising during Christian Aid Week.

Julie and John Hubbard, the organiser and treasurer, respectively, of the St Austell branch of Christian Aid, arranged the meal and organised the cooking.

A Christian Aid service was also held during which John Wilmut spoke about a project to give training to young people in Burundi in Africa to help them access skills and knowledge to push back against poverty.

A video was shown of a woman called Aline who was abused, homeless and hungry, and separated from her children.

Aline took part in a three-day community workshop, funded by Christian Aid, and learnt how to form a Village Savings and Loans Association to establish a steady income.

Those at the church heard that 70 per cent of people in Burundi face hunger and poverty. They were told that finding work and food is a constant battle, and even those with a roof over their heads often lack necessities like electricity and clean water.