SHOPPERS received a dazzling greeting from charity fundraisers in Gillingham in the run-up to Christmas.
As they left Waitrose in the town, the Pearly King and Queen of Harrow – in full pearly suits – were on hand collecting for Home-Start Blackmore Vale.
The Pearly King and Pearly Queen, David and Paula Hemsley, now live in Mere but the Pearly King’s grandmother, a Pearly Queen, originally came from Harrow.
Paula married into the Pearly Tradition of carrying out charitable work, and the pair meet regularly with other Pearly Kings and Queens in Covent Garden in London.
Caroline Salt, a trustee of Home-Start, collected with them and thanked them both for giving up a whole day to help the charity.
“Also a huge thank you to the manager of Waitrose for kindly letting us collect on such a busy day,” she said.
“The Pearlies collected just over £400, which was a huge sum and will go towards the cost of funding a volunteer for a year.
“So, a huge thank you to all those who so kindly donated and another to Waitrose Gillingham which has been giving us greatly needed financial support at Home-Start Blackmore Vale for a couple of years.”