A CHARITY dinner raised almost £30,000 to fund humanitarian work in Iraq.

Leaders of Bolton's diverse communities were among 200 guests who attended the New Pack Horse Hotel for the event, organised by the international aid and development agency, Human Appeal.

Moin Shubib, of the charity, said: "We had a tremendous response from the Bolton community for our campaign, but this is just the beginning and there is much work ahead of us."

Two years ago Human Appeal raised £93,000 to fund emergency relief in Gujarat in India, following the devastating earthquake, and to pay for emergency aid in Palestine.