The latest donation from a project that has raised almost £4,000 for good causes in the Helston area has been awarded to a children’s charity.

Helston and District Lions Club has presented £840 to the Little Harbour hospice run by Children’s Hospice South West, thanks to the efforts of members’ wives.

Fundraising began back in January 2010, when three wives of the club decided to help with fundraising by knitting Easter chicks and putting in chocolate eggs, helped by friends and neighbours.

Such was its success that this was followed by Christmas tree decorations, Easter rabbits and most recently mice and hedgehogs.

Anne Phillips, who has the project, said: “We could not have done all this without the help of many people knitting for us. We even had a lovely lady who was on holiday in Porthleven, who lived up country, who loved our ideas and knits for us every year and posts them to us.”

She added that raising so much money was only possible thanks to the goodwill and support of the post office and stores of Porthleven, St Keverne, Coverack, Praa Sands and Gweek; Gillian’s Tubs in Helston, Trevena Cross Nurseries’ café at Breage and the efforts of the reception staff at Helston Community Hospital who displayed and sold the items.

The organisations that have benefitted from the efforts of Helston Lions’ wives are The Merlin Project, Penhaligon’s Friends and The Mustard Seed Helston, plus the maternity wing at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro where a Doppler machine was bought.

The total amount raised to date is £3,957.

The club is also fundraising each week with a book stall at Porthleven’s Friday markets, which is resulting in weekly donations of food and goods worth £50 to Helston Food Bank, club president John Boase’s charity for 2014.

The club, which covers Helston, Porthleven and the Lizard Peninsula, will also be carrying out a recruitment drive at Porthleven Lifeboat Day to boost its numbers, which currently rest at seven.