THE OUTLOOK is much brighter for Dorchester Arts after a dose of Instant Sunshine helped raise nearly £2,000.

Local author Minette Walters and her husband Alec opened up their residence at Whitcombe for the Summer Sunday fundraising event in support of the county town arts organisation.

Staff and volunteers from Dorchester Arts are now celebrating after ticket sales and a raffle raised just under £2,000 and they are now planning some small changes to improve facilities at the Corn Exchange.

A portion of the proceeds also went to the Fortuneswell Cancer Trust, which supports patients at Dorset County Hospital.

Karen Malim, fundraiser and development officer at Dorchester Arts, was delighted with events success.

She said: "The sun shone on our Summer Sunday with Instant Sunshine event in so many ways: Minette and Alec Walters were wonderful hosts, the venue and the weather were perfect, the canapés delicious and Instant Sunshine absurdly brilliant.

"They had the audience in stitches for most of the concert with their unique brand of humour, and many people, including me, had cheeks that ached for hours from laughing.

"As someone said to me afterwards, what a perfect way to spend a Sunday - sharing laughter, food and drinks with a host of friendly people and raising money for two good causes at the same time!”

David Barlow, Alan Maryon Davis and Peter Christie of Instant Sunshine, have been making music together for 50 years and have produced many songs for radio and television.

Mrs Walters was delighted that they had chosen Whitcombe Manor as their warm-up venue for an upcoming performance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

She said: "I doubt there’s a better way to be entertained than to listen to Instant Sunshine on a warm summer afternoon with glass of fizz in your hand."

The event was supported by local law firm Humphries Kirk.

Partner Katharine Jones said: “We are proud to have sponsored this event, which was a great success for Dorchester Arts.

"Minette and Alec Walters were incredibly welcoming and Instant Sunshine had the audience in stitches.

"We continue to support events like these to help connect artists and communities and demonstrate the power of the arts.”

Dorchester Arts moved to the Corn Exchange earlier this summer and is hoping to build on the success of the fundraising event to help maintain and improve its arts offer and facilities for everyone to enjoy.

The next event is a beer and food matching night with Mark Woodhouse from brewers Hall and Woodhouse at Brownsword Hall in Poundbury on Friday, September 11.

For tickets and information call Dorchester Arts on 01305 266 926 or visit dorchesterarts.org.uk