HAMPSHIRE villagers raised more than £3,000 in just two hours for families struggling to survive in drought-stricken Ethiopia.

They staged a highly-successful cake and plant sale in support of aid agency CAFOD, which is striving to help hundreds of people who rely on farming.

More than 1,000 flowers and vegetable plants were on sale, plus honey, eggs and mouth-watering cakes.

Held at the Church of Our Lady and St Edward in Emery Down, the sale was organised by Henry Rosenvinge and a team of fellow volunteers.

All the proceeds will go to a project called Connect2: Ethiopia, which aims to help farmers improve their harvests by building reservoirs and water pipes.

Sebeya is among the rural communities hardest hit by the drought – the worst Ethiopia has seen in decades.

CAFOD and another agency, Adigrat Diocese Catholic Secretariat (ADCS), is focusing on ways of conserving soil and water in the area and improving irrigation projects.

Mr Rosenvinge said: “It was a wonderful parish and community occasion that raised more than £3,000 for CAFOD’s work in Ethiopia.

“People were very generous - a third of the plants went in the first 20 minutes.

“My wife and I were thrilled to see so many regular ‘customers’ in what’s become an important annual event in the Lyndhurst calendar.

“We live in a rural area where people are sympathetic to changes in climate.

“Knowing our money will be going towards improving the water supply in remote, drought-stricken villages is so gratifying.”