DUNCOMBE Park's Christmas fair raised a total of £40,500 for the NSPCC.

The event, which took place at the historic estate near Helmsley during November, welcomed more than 2,000 shoppers over two days, with a preview evening attended by actor George Blagden from the BBC series Versailles.

Monies raised will go to supporting the work of the NSPCC, the UK's leading children's charity, which relies on voluntary donations to make up 90 per cent of its funding.

Rachel Fraser, co-chair of the NSPCC Duncombe Park committee, said: "We are so pleased to have raised an incredible sum, which will make such a big difference in children's lives.

"When you hear some of the stories of children, young people and families who have benefitted from the services the NSPCC provides, it becomes heartbreakingly clear how important it is to make sure these are available to whoever needs them."

One of the services that will specifically benefit from the money raised at Duncombe is Letting the Future In, which offers specialist counselling to child survivors of sexual abuse and their families in at the charity's York and Sheffield centres.

The teams use a range of therapeutic approaches to help children overcome the impact of abuse and enable them to understand that the abuse was not their fault and that their future can be bright and fulfilled.

Their families are also given support to help their child recover and come to terms with what has happened.

NSPCC's head of fundraising, Wendy Bates, said: "This is an incredible amount of money to raise and I pay tribute to the hard work and enthusiasm of the team, who through dedication and hard slog pulled off a truly wonderful event. We just can't thank them enough."

Duncombe Park committee co-chair Karen Story added: "We would like to thank local businesses which provide sponsorship and support for the fair, and of course we are so grateful to Jake and Raffaella Duncombe for allowing us to use their home to host the event."

For information and advice contact the NSPCC's Childline service at www.childline.org.uk or call the helpline on 0808 800 5000.