A CHARITY ball was held to raise money for a medical centre in India which was funded by local people.

Following the tragedy of the Asian Tsunami in 2004, a group of six St Albans residents decided to try to do something to help and organised a successful dinner and dance which raised some �27,000.

After much research, they decided to offer support to a badly-hit area of south-eastern India where little official help was being sent and it resulted in the creation of a medical centre in a fishing village called Perangiapettai, the worst affected area.

In their gratitude the local people named it the St Albans Medical Centre and it has now grown out of all expectations, providing health care, hospice care, health education and psychological support to more than 20,000 patients from 28 villages.

A further dinner and dance was held in September 2007 which raised �30,000 towards the running of the centre and another was held in the Walled Garden at Luton Hoo earlier this month and attended by 300 people, raising �28,000.

But it will be the last event organised by the original group of St Albans friends that made the centre possible as they are looking for someone else to take over the reins and continue the fundraising.

Kerry Day, one of the current organisers, said: “Following our visit to India in 2007 to view the new medical centre and meeting the sisters who now run it, we are in no doubt that we made the right decision in launching this wonderful charity.

“However, due to the commitments of the charity organisers, we are now looking for a person to run this very worthwhile cause and who will nurture it in the way that we have done.

“So many things are already set in stone and the day-to-day running of the centre generally looks after itself, however every few years charity events are a necessity to provide a steady flow of funds to the medical centre.”

Anyone who can help with fundraising efforts on behalf of the St Albans Medical Centre should contact Paul or Nadine Gibbon on 07960 813198 for more information.