MORE than £1,000 has been raised for Help for Heroes by the Warminster 2015 UFO convention.

The event, held on the August Bank Holiday weekend, was to mark the 50th anniversary of the Warminster Thing and nearly 120 sky watchers attended the convention at the Old Bell pub, in Market Place.

Kevin Goodman, organiser of the event, said: “We were totally against the wall after being refused funding by Warminster Town Council for the event, and that evening all our hopes to hold a convention in the town lay in tatters.

“So, with our spirits low, we went into the Old Bell at least to slightly drown our sorrows.

“Little did we know that the Bell had a function room, and after a few discussions, it was agreed that the Bell were willing to host the event.

“We had always maintained that if we were to go into profit, a charity should benefit from our work, and the Bell suggested Help for Heroes as Warminster is, after all, a key part of the county's defence network.

“Nikki and Paul pulled the stops out for us, and the resulting money raised is testament to that.

“We are indeed proud of what we achieved, and we think this is the first time that a UFO conference has raised money for a good cause.”