Bikini babes raise money for charity

The ladies cleaning a car for charity

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A group of young women from Rochdale donned their bikinis today (Saturday 9 April 2011) to raise money for a children’s charity.

The friends hosted a charity car wash, held on the car park of the Oxford Pub on Whitworth Road, to raise money for Clic Sargent.

The event, organised by Lisa Gratton, 29, is part of a yearlong scheme called Project 52. Each week Ms Gratton has to do something she has never done before, including four charity events. Today was the first.

The car wash started at 12 noon and drivers were asked for a minimum donation of £3 for small cars and £5 for bigger cars.

Helpers stood on Whitworth Road with placards and collection buckets encouraging people to take part.

Ms Gratton said: “In the first half an hour we have had ten cars through. I’m chuffed to bits with how it is going and I am glad everyone has turned up – everyone is having lots of fun.

“The weather is great too, I booked this three months ago and had no idea what the weather would be like!

"I must say thank you to TLF Fitness, DMG Valeting, UBS Bathrooms who provided the sponges and Biketechs in Castleton who provided the car shampoo.”

Ms Gratton hasn’t set a target amount but hopes to raise as much as possible. She said she chose Clic Sargent because she was so touched after watching a TV programme about a child battling cancer.

Joanne Norbury, Ms Gratton’s sister, has fundraised for Clic Sargent before, she described the day as “fantastic.”

She added: “It is going really well, I didn’t think this many people would turn up. We hope to raise as much as we can.”