STAFF at Malvern Hills District Council raised almost £5,000 for a wide variety of charities during 2017.

Each year, staff members from the Council House in Avenue Road and the Tourist Information Centre in Church Street choose national charity events to take part in, and raise money for them by holding raffles, dress down days, quizzes and cake sales.

But among the most spectacular stunts carried out by staff this year was the piano push, which raised over £3,640 for Worcester Breast Unit Haven.

A team of daredevils, many adorned with fake beards and moustaches, pushed an upright piano weighing some 500 pounds from the Church Street traffic lights all the way to the top of the Worcestershire Beacon.

The council staff, joined by fellow employees from Wychavon District Council and members of Malvern Male Voice Choir, undertook the challenge for colleague Nicky Stevens, who was treated at the unit.

Further fundraising initiatives included a Macmillan coffee morning that raised £182.40, a cake sale that raised £50 for the Rotary Club pancake race, a dress-down day that raised £96.81 for Comic Relief and another cake sale that raised £87.84 for Breast Cancer Support.

The Tourist Information Centre raised £183.36 for Acorns Children's Hospice with a collection and the letter-to-Santa campaign. It also raised £40 for Macmillan and £27.35 for the Citizens Advice Bureau.

Other contributions included £52.50 for the British Heart Foundation, £61 for Edwards Trust, £61 for the Mental Health Foundation, £62 for Acorns, £122.64 for Children in Need and £92.22 for the Poppy Appeal.

And a staff quiz raised £50 for Poolbrook Cafe's Christmas Day lunch for Malvern residents who have no one to spend the day with.

Jack Hegarty, the council's chief executive, said: “The fundraising efforts and generosity of our staff is wonderful, and the amount of funds raised for such good causes over the year have been outstanding. Staff should be very proud. We hope to continue our good work throughout next year.”