The message from 54 big-hearted licensees to their chosen charity of the year was - Cheers folks! It's been a great year and here's £30,000 to prove it.

The licensees, who belong to the Norwich Inns group, raised the money for the Norfolk and Norwich Association for the Blind, which helps 20,000 children and adults with poor sight to live as independently as possible.

The pubs, bars, clubs and hotels in the group have spent the last 12 months rattling tins and staging events to raise the money.

And the cash was handed over to the charity yesterdayat a ceremony at the Wig and Pen pub in St Martins at Palace Plain, which is run by Norwich Inns' chief executive, Craig McLaren.

The presentation also marked the handing over of the baton from the NNAB to Norwich Inns' chosen charity for 2013, another well-respected Norfolk charity, Nelson's Journey, which supports bereaved children and young people.

Mr McLaren said: 'It's been a pleasure and a privilege to be associated with NNAB for the last 12 months, and I'm sure our members and their customers will rise to the occasion again to raise funds for Nelson's Journey.

'Ultimately, it's our customers who dig deep to support our charitable aims and I can't thank them enough for their continued backing for good causes that are rooted in Norfolk and help people when they need it most.'

NNAB chief executive Max Marriner said: 'We are very grateful to Norwich Inns for their fantastic support. The money they have raised will make a real difference in the lives of people of all ages in Norfolk who need our help.'

Nelson's Journey's chief executive Colin Lang thanked Norwich Inns, and said: 'We look forward to working with its members to raise funds to support the increasing number of bereaved children in Norfolk who need help.'

The Evening News has been supporting pubs and encouraging people to pay them a visit in our Love Your Local campaign.

to see more stories from the campaign visit www.eveningnews24.co.uk/loveyourlocal

Are you fundraising for charity in Norwich? Call reporter David Bale on 01603 772427 or email david.bale2@archant.co.uk