A MOULTON woman who has raised thousands of pounds for a good cause over a period of seven years has been forced to halt her moneymaking operation.

Betty Knight, of Eaton View, raised money for St Wilfrid's Church in Davenham by collecting newspapers and selling them to Jiffy Packaging in Winsford.

The scheme became hugely successful and Betty has raised more than £6,000 since 1996.

But she received a letter from Jiffi Packaging at the end of last year informing her that they would no longer accept her newspapers.

Betty, who is desperate to continue, said: "We used to deliver about three tonnes of rubbish every two months so it was very worthwhile. Every penny of it went to the church improvements fund and paid for a replacement stained glass window.

"We had a really good team going in the end and it is such a shame that we are unable to continue."

It was hard work but Betty and her team are extremely proud of what they achieved.

She said: "We used to walk around in the cold weather collecting newspapers from people's houses but we really did enjoy it."

The Rev Andy Greenhough believes St Wilfrid's Church will miss the additional funding Betty's scheme has provided.

He said: "There are a number of repairs needed on the church. The roof needs retiling and the tower pointing so any extra money is welcome. The amount of money Betty has raised over the years is fantastic."

Mark Smith, human resources director at Jiffy Packaging Winsford, said: "We had to stop the scheme because we kept getting foreign bodies in with the papers.

"We collected from a number of charity groups but lumps of metal were found and this can cause fires in the macerator so it became a safety issue."

Betty would like to thank everyone who has helped with the fundraising over the years.

phennessey@guardiangrp.co.uk