MALVERN mayor Cynthia Palmer has been popping up at businesses all over the town this month as part of a fundraising drive for the Acorns Children's Hospice.

The mayor has volunteered at a variety of businesses in Malvern this month as part of her Rent-the-Mayor initiative, which has seen her doing everything from pulling pints to delivering buffet lunches.

And naturally, one of the places where she appeared for a stint of work was the Acorns Children’s Hospice shop in Barnard’s Green.

Coun Palmer has adopted Acorns as her charity of the year and hopes to raise £5,000 through fundraising efforts during her 12 months in office.

Among the places she has already made an appearance are Barnards Green Post Office and DELIcious in Malvern Link, as well as Costa Coffee, Malvern Book Co-operative and the Foley Arms Hotel in the town centre.

And she will be putting in appearances at Lansdowne Methodist Church on Sunday, March 26, Santander on Worcester Road on Wednesday, March 29, and Little Oaks Nursery on Friday, March 31.

She said: “I have really enjoyed volunteering across Malvern, meeting so many kind people and being able to collect as much as I possibly could for Acorns.

“I’ve visited Acorns in Worcester before and seen first-hand the vital work it does for children and families. It is such a special place and I’m thrilled that I have been able to raise so much for my charity of the year.”

As part of the Rent-the-Mayor campaign, businesses were able to contribute to Acorns in exchange for the mayor’s time, while local people could donate when they saw her volunteering.

Mandie Fitzgerald, community fundraising manager at Acorns, said: “It’s great that the mayor has given up so much of her time to volunteer and to help raise funds to provide vital care for the children and families that use Acorns.

“Rent-the-Mayor has been a fantastic campaign and we’re thrilled that businesses right across Malvern and the local community both gave it such wonderful support.”