MASTERCHEF finalist, Saira Hamilton, held a foodie fundraising event for her local Charity of the Year – raising over £2,800 for St Clare Hospice.

The Sawbridgeworth resident, who starred on BBC One’s MasterChef in 2013 and appeared as a judge on the 2016 series, held a pop-up restaurant on Friday 17 June at Manuden Village Hall to raise vital funds for the Hospice.

Over 100 diners attended and enjoyed award-winning Bengali cuisine prepared by the MasterChef Finalist herself.

St Clare Community Fundraiser, Sue Fishpool, who supported Saira with the event, said: “The ‘Midsummer with Saira’ event was a sizzling success. Diners were delighted to sample food prepared by a chef from the famous MasterChef series and Saira’s cuisine certainly lived up to expectations! We cannot thank Saira enough for hosting this exclusive culinary event for us and are excited to be working with her throughout the year on other fundraising initiatives.”

Saira said: “I was privileged to be able to support St Clare by hosting the pop-up restaurant and am so happy it was a success. I love to share my food with my local community and it was fantastic to do so while raising vital funds for this fantastic charity. St Clare Hospice is my local Charity of the Year and I will be holding more events in 2016 – so watch this space!”

“St Clare gives such incredible care to each and every person who comes through their doors. The Hospice is such a happy and uplifting place – we are just so lucky to have this facility on our doorstep, and for the care to be free of charge whenever we may need it. I’m just delighted that my event has helped the Hospice continue its great work.”