Wellington-based charity SeeAbility has potted £8,000, courtesy of Taunton Round Table and a famous snooker star.

The Round Table held a speaker evening at The Holiday Inn, Taunton, sponsored by Albert Goodman.

Guests of honour were the Rev David Ireland, of SeeAbility, and former snooker champion Willie Thorne.

The snooker star now works mainly as a commentator and entertained guests with witty observations from the world of sport, encouraging all present to dig deep during the auction, which included a signed cue.

Fiona Spotswood, SeeAbility's South-West fund-raiser, said: "The donation will go towards employing a volunteer co-ordinator at our Wellington office, to recruit more much-needed volunteers and manage those we already have.

"The volunteers enable the young people we support -- who are blind with additional profound learning and physical disabilities -- to have more varied interaction with the outside world, and integrate more successfully into society."