CINDERELLA shall go to the ball after a youth club's annual Christmas panto trip was rescued by an electricals shop manager.

The Beatbox club for children with learning difficulties and special needs always takes a Christmas trip to the pantomime.

This year they feared they wouldn't have quite enough money to go until Wantage charity champion Ray Collins stepped in to pay for 25 panto tickets, the coach there and back, a pizza feast and possibly even some ice creams at the interval.

Senior youth worker Justina Petkunaite said the group were delighted with the donation.

She said: "Thanks to Ray we are able to take this exciting trip, get ferried down there in a comfortable coach and have pizza beforehand.

"It's a late night out for them and we're all really excited."

The 15 club members and 10 volunteers and staff from the club are going to see Cinderella at Newbury Corn Exchange on Thursday, December 1.

Beatbox is based at the Sweatbox youth club at King Alfred's Academy East Site on Springfield Road, and both are financially supported by the school.

They also get funding from Wantage Town Council and Grove Parish Council.

Miss Petkunaite added: "Beatbox and Sweatbox are brilliantly supported by KAs and both councils which is fantastic and we are really grateful for it.

"That enables us to provide a fantastic service, and this sort of trip is really over and above."

Mr Collins provided the funding through the Ray Collins Charitable Trust which he set up this year with a group of fellow fundraisers.

He said: "We were very pleased to be able to step in and help.

"Beatbox is a fantastic group, and to be able to help these kids who wouldn't otherwise be able to go to the pantomime was brilliant.

"They are all wonderful kids and we know a lot of them anyway through our work with Fitzwaryn special school in Wantage, so it was really a no-brainer."

Beatbox, which meets every Thursday night, aims to build confidence and skills and help children with special needs and learning difficulties integrate with other children.

Miss Petkunaite is taking over as senior youth worker at Sweatbox from Garry Kingett, who announced his retirement this month after three decades at the helm.

The Ray Collins Charitable Trust made another donation last week, handing over £5,000 to Wantage's Cancer Research UK charity shop.

The money, raised at this year's Wantage Race for Life, organised by the trust, will be spent locally.