A fundraising stunt that saw local business people 'arrested and held in jail' has raise more than £30,000 for charity.

The Jail or Bail event was organised by East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) and saw business representatives held in custody throughout the day on Friday, February 16.

“We had great fun and our sincere thanks go to those who gave their time and got in the spirit to make the day so memorable," said EACH's senior corporate Fundraiser Billie Nugent.

Adding: “They were brilliant and couldn’t have been better sports."

Their 'crimes' ranged from stealing the office milk to ‘oversharing’ and the 'convicts' had to spend a maximum of five hours ‘behind bars’, canvassing support in order to raise £1,000 each via their JustGiving pages.

The event was a first for EACH’s corporate fundraising team and there were five business representatives at Milton, near Cambridge, four at The Nook, near Norwich, and two at The Treehouse, in Ipswich.

Those being held at Milton were Amy Starkey (Jockey Club Racecourses), Noel Byrne (Bedford Lodge Hotel & Spa), Sharon Livermore (Kameo Recruitment), Steve Elsom (Number 4 Consulting) and Paul Smith (Handelsbanken). After being arrested outside the hospice, they spent the day at nearby Milton Hall.

The Hunts Post: Sharon Livermore (Kameo Recruitment) is taken to jail.Sharon Livermore (Kameo Recruitment) is taken to jail. (Image: EACH)

They were allowed to use their laptops and phones, to appeal for financial help, and, in total, the 'convicts' raised more than £35,000.

“It was an enormous success, both in terms of funds and raising awareness of the work we do,” said Billie.

“A very big thanks also to those who donated and helped them secure their bail money. To raise as much as we did was astonishing and far exceeded our expectations.”

After arriving at the hospices, the convicts were arrested, handcuffed and read their rights by real police officers.

They then booked in for the day, fingerprints were taken and they were asked to change into grey custody tracksuits.

As soon as they reached their fundraising target, the 'convicts' were free to go.

“An extra special thank you also goes to the police forces in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk,” added Billie.