A FUNDRAISING night for a charity that provides support to families who have stillborn babies has raised nearly £900.

Hazel Latcham, 62, and her daughter Jenni, 24, organised the night at the Maharaja restaurant, in Benfleet, after three couples, all close friends and family, lost a baby within a year of giving birth.

About 60 people, including many of Hazel’s friends in the East Essex Players, tucked into an Indian meal at the restaurant, in London Road, which agreed to donate a proportion of the profit.

The mother and daughter team also held a raffle with prizes donated by local businesses.

The night raised £438 for Sands, the Stillborn and Neonatal Death Society.

Jenni’s employer Barclays Bank agreed to match the amount raised, taking the total to £876.

Hazel, who lives with her daughter in Burnham Road, Hullbridge, said: “After we lost the three babies, I thought ‘I need to do something’.

“It’s no good getting cross, it doesn’t get you anywhere, but if you do something for a society like Sands it’s something positive.”

In the UK, 17 babies are stillborn every day. Hazel is hoping to raise a total of £1,000 by the end of the year.

To donate visit www.just giving.com/hazellatcham