RESIDENTS have been praised for their generosity after raising more than £2,000 for charity.

The chairman of Shildon Town Council, Councillor Garry Huntington, chose Lupus UK as his charity for last year and raised £2,038 from a series of events.

Coun Huntington chose the charity because he felt the illness, which is a disorder of the immune system, needed to be highlighted.

He presented the money raised to Andy Taylor and Susan Whelan, from the charity, at a recent council meeting.

He said: "I think this has been a fantastic effort by the people of Shildon and I would like to thank everyone for their support."