A West Wickham athlete needs your help to raise money for children with leukaemia - and local ladies can help out by going down the pub.

Rachael Willis, 23, of Bennett's Way, Shirley, set out to raise £1, 500 and has so far collected almost £2, 000 through events and sponsorship of her running this year's London Marathon.

A ladies' night is to be held at The Swan, West Wickham tonight (April 3) at 8.00PM.

For a fiver you can enjoy the Ann Summers experience, as well as raffles and saucy games throughout the night, and ladies are invited to arrive at 7.30PM to warm up with a free glass of bubbly.

Miss Willis has raised money through a number of events, the latest being a charity evening held last Saturday (March 29) at The Swan - collecting an impressive £686 on the night, mainly through the raffling of more than 30 prizes.

Those generously donated by West Wickham businesses include a cut and blow-dry courtesy of Sterling Hair, £25 Travelcare and La Belle vouchers, Castaways mugs, Lanta vouchers, as well as a bouquet donated by Willow Florist a cake by Cake and Bake, Coney Hall, and spa passes for Amida, Beckenham.

There was also the opportunity to win a sailing lesson with a member of the Great Britain sailing team, and a free riding lesson at local stables.

Interestingly, £150 was raised through the curiously popular "male waxing" that took place that night.

In explanation Miss Willis said: "I had to find, persuade and bully 4 blokes into volunteering. I had them sitting on stalls in front of the DJ with their shirts off each holding an empty pint glass. Everyone put money into the glass of the person who they wanted to see being waxed. It was such a giggle for us but you should have seen some of their faces when their mates started putting in £10 and £20 notes."

Miss Willis says that she has been inspired by ordinary people running the marathon.

She said: "I've wanted to do it for a few years and this year is the first of many, I hope. I could barely run 800 metres at school, so the marathon is a huge step up but I'm so excited about the day."

Miss Willis has managed to stick to her training schedule while working full-time, and has overcome injury and missing out on selection in the initial marathon ballot to fulfil her goal.

Ladies' Night at the Swan, Thursday (April 3): Doors open at 7.30PM for a free glass of bubbly, and the fun commences at 8PM.

Those interested in Miss Willis's fund-raising activities are invited to visit her webpage at: www.bmycharity.com/RachaelWillis