How Emmerdale's Chastity became a Nolan assister

A record £155,000 was raised in less than 24 hours when the Famous Grouse teamed up with the cast of TV soap Emmerdale to raise cash for leukaemia charity the Anthony Nolan Trust. Emmerdale's Lucy Pargeter, who plays foxy Woolpack barmaid Chastity Dingle, took a break from filming the show ­ currently topping EastEnders in the ratings ­ to present a cheque to the Anthony Nolan Trust's area manager George Walker. The sum, which smashed last year's total by almost £50,000, was achieved when 20,000 people turned out to join the TV stars at Banchory in Scotland in a marathon fund-raising effort that included tennis, golf and cricket. The Famous Grouse PR manager, Carol McLaren, said: "This really is an incredible sum to have achieved in just one day. We are absolutely delighted with the response from Emmerdale fans who travelled to the north of Scotland to support an extraordinary outdoor event. "The goodwill from the cast members who gave up their time free of charge to help us raise so much money, was fantastic." Walker said the cash will enable the Trust to recruit a further 2,200 bone marrow donors who could potentially save the lives of leukaemia sufferers. "The event has snowballed very quickly with the support of Emmerdale and the Famous Grouse to the point where it is now one of the biggest one-day outdoor events in Scotland. "The goodwill around the extravaganza from the Scottish business community and the support from the public has been phenomenal and gives us confidence to really go for it next year with our biggest and best fundraiser yet." The day of activities kicked off early with 500 people taking part in a 10km run. The huge crowd was entertained with a range of main ring attractions, from a truck pull and bucking bronco to tractor ski-ing, and even had the chance to savour a dram of the Famous Grouse in a replica Woolpack while listening to live music. High above the event in the Aberdeenshire skies, several courageous cast members joined members of the public who took to the air strapped to the wings of aerobatics planes. The day culminated with a dinner dance and auction where "money can't buy" items went under the hammer to fetch more than £20,000.