SWINDON'S civic and business leaders had a good reason to celebrate at the weekend.

Enjoying the good food, drink and glamour of the Swindon Charity Ball, they managed to raise £44,000 for the town's good causes bringing the total raised in its 18-year history to more than £500,000.

The guests, who had paid £70 to attend, were treated to a railway themed evening. Their tickets were checked by inspectors, there was a smoke generator puffing out clouds and on the walls screens showed footage of steam trains.

The Adver's sales, marketing and digital media manager James Trudgian, chairman of this year's event, said: "The night was everything we could have hoped for and much more.

"We always aimed to break the half-million pound barrier, and at the end of the night we were just short of the figure, so the Nationwide Building Society, who match what is made on the night, added a few more thousand pounds to the total. The railway theme worked extremely well and it was a good way of marking the 200th anniversary of Isambard Kingdom Brunel."

This year the money from the ball will go to six charities, Swindon Down's Syndrome Group, the Wilts and Berks Canal Trust, the Mother and Baby Courtyard Garden at the Great Western Hospital, Headway Swindon & District, which helps people who have suffered traumatic brain injuries, Storysacks, which encourages reading in children and the Swindon Foyer, which helps vulnerable young people.