Josephine the giraffe was top of the tree as a charity fundraiser at the open air plays at Lytham Ha

A total of £1200 was raised for local and international charities by raffles at three of the outdoor plays, with Josephine proving an appealing star prize at the Bank Holiday Sunday performance of The Adventures of Dr. Dolittle by Illyria.

The Mason family from St. Annes were the excited winners of Josephine, five feet tall, who was donated by Pat Booth, owner of Plackitt and Booth’s bookshop in Clifton Street, Lytham.

Mum Corinne Mason said that her three children were delighted to be able to offer Josephine a new home.

“Lily, Fred and Henry all fell in love with Josephine immediately. They made a camp in our house and slept with Josephine in-between them. The performance of Dr. Dolittle was excellent, as always, and I was that very happy that the raffle did so well.”

The Lytham St. Annes Lifeboat station, Brian House Children’s Hospice in Blackpool and the St. Luke’s Leprosy Hospital in southern India will share the proceeds from this summer’s raffles. The total raised in this way has now risen to over £8000 in the past nine years.