A CHALLENGE in the style of The Apprentice TV show raised nearly £1,000 for charity.

Four teams from energy company Centrica took to streets of Wokingham town centre to raise as much cash as they could for the Thames Hospice.

Two teams each day were given identical items by the charity, including candles, decorations and photo frames, and had to sell them. They could chose the mode of sale – from the stall or through a raffle.

Collectively, the teams managed to raise £936 through the initiative on Friday and Saturday, October 25 and 26, with some dressing as superheroes for the occasion.

The two teams on Friday were called Hospice Heroes, who raised £358 and were declared the winners, and Fantastic Four who raised £162. On Saturday, it was the Thames Quackers and Area D, who both raised more than £180 each.

Michelle Bowdidge, Thames Hospice’s community and events manager, said: “It was great to see all the teams embracing the challenge and creatively raising a fantastic amount.” The money raised will fund more than 37 hours of care at the charity’s Windsor hospice and Ascot community therapy unit. Centrica, based in Windsor, is the parent company of British Gas.