An annual beef and beer dinner has raised £41,000 for Oxenhope Sue Ryder hospice Manorlands.

The event, at the Craiglands Hotel in Ilkley, was attended by 260 guests.

They enjoyed prime sirloin of beef from Dovecote Park near Pontefract and cask ales supplied by Keighley brewery Timothy Taylor.

Guest speaker was Ilkley-born gardener, broadcaster and novelist Alan Titchmarsh.

Master of Ceremonies was Timothy Taylor managing director Charles Dent and there was a hugely successful auction conducted by professional auctioneer Nigel Smith, of Tennants.

The dinner was staged by the Manorlands Challenge Committee.

Rachel Cunningham, Sue Ryder regional fundraiser, said: “We are once again exceedingly grateful to the Challenge Committee for organising this dinner, which has now become an important date on our fundraising calendar.

“In these difficult economic times it is harder than ever to raise the vital funds needed to provide Manorlands’ care and we are delighted with the amount the event has raised.”