POPULAR fundraising event Coffee ’n’ Browse is celebrating a milestone after raising £8,000 for the charity Farm Africa since it started nine years ago.

The event is held on the first Friday of every month at All Saints Church Centre in Burbage and is organised by mother-of-three Sarah Scott.

Villagers pay £1.50 for a donut and unlimited coffee and have a chance to buy crafts.

All of the money raised goes to Farm Africa, which works in eastern Africa to tackle hunger.

Mrs Scott, a teaching assistant at Burbage Primary School, decided to organise the mornings after receiving a Farm Africa toy goat as a present for her 40th birthday.

She said: “The Make Poverty History campaign got me thinking about how we could do things here in Burbage that would make a real difference to the lives of people thousands of miles away.

“Then I got the Farm Africa goat and I learned about the charity’s work helping people on the ground to grow more food which seemed a really effective way to me of working to beat hunger.

“I’m really proud of the way the community I live in has come together to help people in need thousands of miles away.”

The 49-year-old is helped by a team of volunteers during the three hour sessions.

Farm Africa’s community fundraising manager Sarah Goddard said: “The Burbage Coffee ‘n Browse sessions are a shining example of how local communities can, over time, make a real and lasting difference.

“I’d like to thank the people of Burbage for their unstinting support and generosity over so many years.”

The next Coffee n Browse session, which will include a cake sale and cake decorating for children, takes place tomorrow between 9.30am and 12.30pm.