ORGANISERS of a Bolton-based charity set up to help victims of domestic abuse have hailed the sterling work of one of its volunteers.

Gene Spurr has been organising the gift wrapping service by Fortalice in the Market Place for the last 19 years, an activity which has brought in £77,200 for the charity in the that time.

Chair of Fortalice Gill Smallwood said: "Gene has been and ardent supporter and volunteer with Fortalice for the past 25 years and since 1995, has co-ordinated the Christmas wrapping event in the Bolton Marketplace throughout December.

"The amount of work that goes in to recruiting and co-ordinating her band of present wrappers is a tremendous task but Gene takes everything in her stride and has raised a huge amount of money to support our work with women and children affected by domestic abuse.

"We are so grateful to Gene for all her hard work and support, a massive thanks from the board and all the staff at Fortalice.

Mrs Spurr, aged 74, is retired schoolteacher and grandmother and martials| a team of up to 130 helpers on the run up to Christmas.

A native of Portarlington in Ireland, Mrs Spurr is married to the retired medical director of the Royal Bolton Hospital, David Spurr, aged 72, and lives in Heaton.

"I got involved 30 years ago when mutual friends of mine also helped the charity," said Mrs Spurr. "We were all in our 30s and 40s and had young children and wanted to help out."

Fortalice was founded in Bolton in 1977 to assist women and children affected by domestic abuse. It provides accommodation and a range of support services for victims.