A charity has helped to raise £50,000 to help build an orphanage in Palestine.

The Children of the Ghetto charity raised the funds at a dinner and auction event at Preston Muslim Girls' School, Deepdale Mill Street, Deepdale, Preston, on Saturday.

The charity, run by local Prestonians and the city's Respect party leader, Michael Lavalette, will now send the money to a project in Jericho on the West Bank of Gaza, in Palestine, which will use the cash to build an orphanage.

More than 500 people attended the event where a boxing glove donated by Amir Khan fetched £15,000.

Other items in the auction included a pipe donated by former Labour MP and cabinet minister, Tony Benn, a Manchester United t-shirt signed by Sir Bobby Charlton and Sir Alex Ferguson and an England shirt signed by England striker, Michael Owen.

One local businessman who wishes to remain anonymous also donated £21,000.

Coun Lavalette said: "We are planning to visit the orphanage once it has been built and we are very grateful to everyone who attended the event and have made this project a reality."

Speakers at the event will include Ismail Adam chairman of Friends of Al Aqsa and Daud Abdullah from the Muslim Council of Britain.

Coun Lavalette added: "It was a great evening with good food and interesting speakers and because the event was organised by Children of the Ghetto, it pulled in a broader audience than just Respect members.

"It was good to have Respect back in the community doing what it should be doing".

This is the second annual event held by the charity to raise money for people in Palestine. Last year they raised £15,000 for a project for impoverished families in Nablus, in the West Bank.