A bag pack fundraiser run by a rotary club in the island has helped raise £1,200 in aid of an Australian appeal.

The Rotary Club of Rushen and Western Mann held a bag pack at the Shoprite in Port Erin to help the Native Animal Rescue Group (NARG) in Braidwood, Australia.

The group felt compelled to raise money towards the wildlife charity after reading a story published in the Examiner on January 14 about Bidda Jones, the chief executive officer of RSPCA Australia who grew up in Port St Mary, who appealed to the Manx community for help.

The former Castle Rushen student said the town has a strong Manx connection with one of the original homesteads being named ’Mona’ and a family of Maddrells having moved there in 1853 with some Maddrells still living there to the present day.

NARG is providing kangaroo pellets, hay, chaff and bird seed for people to feed starving wildlife. It also has trained wildlife carers taking care of injured or orphaned animals. Search for the charity here: www.narg.asn.au/donate/

The group thanked shoppers for their generosity with their donations.