Warmth for the palate and the heart at Chilli and Tunes event near Buckingham

An evening of Chilli and Tunes has raised over £1,400 to help people fleeing the war in Ukraine.

The fun night out at Chackmore Village Hall was organised by musician Linda Watkins, from Chackmore, and chef Fran Davies, from Dadford, to raise funds for the Disasters Emergency Committee's work helping Ukrainian refugees.

From a standing start, the pair used social media and word of mouth to organise the event, which included food, entertainment and a generous raffle.

Saturday, March 26, saw a dedicated group of people assisting Fran and Linda to get the party started.

By 7pm, the village hall was transformed into a sea of blue and yellow awaiting those who had donated to the cause to help ease the plight of refugees.

The evening began with a hearty welcome and thanks to all present, and the announcement that £850 had already been raised in advance of the event.

Gentle music filled the air with Mike Moyse taking guests back to the ’60s.

He was then joined by Linda Watkins and Dave Crawford, and the audience were treated to a whistlestop musical tour of many different musical genres and styles, while tucking into Fran's freshly made chilli with a huge selection of accompaniments.

Many of the guests had brought along a dessert to share and the table groaned under the strain of the many beautifully prepared cakes and sweet treats.

Following the meal there was more music from the intrepid scratch trio, who had not played together for many years.

There were sombre moments, including a poignant Harvey Andrews song performed by Linda, about a little boy fleeing for his life with his mother in a war-torn region.

But Dave Crawford’s humorous stories and heckler put-downs soon had everyone giggling again.

Fran shared two cleverly crafted monologues and there was more fun with audience participation of various sorts throughout the remainder of the evening.

All the food, music and raffle prizes were generously donated, meaning the total amount raised will go to the appeal

Linda and Fran thanked all those who helped out or donated prizes, including the residents of Chackmore, Pete Edwards at The Mitre, The Buckingham Butcher, Beckles Cakes, Sam Whitehead of Natural Pampering, Maxine Myatt of Oving Dexter Beef for the meat for the chilli, and Julia Jeacock for organising tables and washing up.

Linda said: "With such great community support, we were able to make what we feel is a valuable contribution to the DEC Ukrainian Refugee Fund.

"Our heartfelt thanks go out to everyone from Chackmore and beyond."

To donate to the appeal, click here.