Bassett Manor fundraiser 2807

ABOUT 6,000 was raised for Citizens Advice Oxfordshire at an event hosted by Baroness Sheehan at her home in Stoke Row.

A total of 385 supporters enjoyed an outdoor showing of Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore in her garden at Basset Manor in aid of the charity on Saturday.

The performance was the latest of fundraisers hosted by Baroness Sheehan and her family in aid of Citizens Advice since 2019.

Proceeds came from the sale of tickets, homemade cakes and refreshments as well as a silent auction.

One of the lots was an afternoon tea at the House of Lords with the baroness. Baroness Sheehan said: “The work Citizens Advice do is fantastic, and the volunteers phenomenal — they’re of a very high calibre.

“The training is wonderful and the advice they provide for such a wide range of issues that people in local communities face is just amazing.

“I really want to spread the word that Citizens Advice is a charity. A lot of people think that, because the advice is so professional, it’s a government-funded organisation, but it’s not. They are dependent totally on charitable donations.”

Celia Diuce, from Checkendon, attended the fundraiser for the second time with her husband Jeremy.

She said: “We just love the whole atmosphere here and it’s for such a good cause. It’s the setting as well and the people here, just the whole experience and the actors are amazing.” Teresa Archer, chief executive of Citizens Advice Oxfordshire, said: “It’s extraordinarily generous of the baroness and her husband to open up their home like this and to have been loyal supporters for such a long time. For us, this is about raising awareness that we are a charity here for local people.

“We serve 20,000 people across Oxfordshire a year and gain up to £10 million a year for them.

“The demand for our services doesn’t shrink, it only grows and so anything like this that raises awareness and funds for us is immense and we’re very grateful for it.”