A fundraising day in memory of a loved one saw enough money made to exceed the fundraising target.

The event was hosted by the family of Dan Dench at Weymouth Pavilion.

Dan died suddenly in March 2013 at the age of 35 from SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy), leaving behind his wife and two daughters.

Since his death, the family have raised £42,000 for Epilepsy Action, SUDEP Action and more recently Supportdogs.

The family’s recent fundraising event saw a wild-west themed family day and an evening of wild-west themed entertainment.

Various performers provided the entertainment, with other activities on offer such as a rodeo bull, a Wild West shootout and panning for gold.

In the evening, entertainment included a Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers tribute act, The Jolly Boys Outing band, line dancing, a rodeo bull and a Tuk Tuk photo booth.

Sally Dench, Dan’s mother, said: “We cannot thank these talented performers enough for giving their time so freely.

“We would also like to thank all those involved who provided the entertainment both throughout the day and in the evening.”

The event saw £4,068 raised for Supportdogs, meaning the family have now reached their target to raise over £18,000 to cover the cost of training a seizure dog.

Danny Anderson, fundraising manager at Supportdogs, said: “Our charity is truly honoured to be supported by the wonderful family and friends of Dan Dench.

“Support Dogs is a relatively small charity yet our work in training epilepsy seizure alert dogs is unique in the UK.

“Seizure dogs provide a 100 per cent reliable up to 50 minute warning in advance of someone having an epileptic seizure, enabling the individual to have their seizures in safety and privacy and have far better control of their condition.

“It takes up to two years and approximately £18,000 to train a seizure alert dog and the impact is not just life changing but also life saving.

“The money raised in Dan’s memory will go directly to this.”

The event also raised awareness of SUDEP Action and their Prevent21 campaign, which aims to shine a light on bringing the risk to public attention, acting on targeting cause and prevention of deaths.

Sally Dench said: “When Dan died suddenly from SUDEP in 2013, we had never heard or had been informed about SUDEP.”

Although the family have reached their target, they will continue to fundraise in memory of Dan.

Sally said: “As a family, we have been a huge fundraising team, with so much help, support and donations given by family, friends and local businesses.

“We know Dan would be rather proud that so many have given so much in his memory.

“A huge thank you to all.”

For more information about the charities, visit supportdogs.org.uk or SUDEP.org