A WORCESTER supermarket worker has been named amongst a list of the British Heart Foundation’s quirkiest fundraisers of the year.

Michele Preston, 49, from Worcester, was named in the charity's top 10 list which revealed the wild and wonderful things people have done to raise money.

Mrs Preston has helped raise around £20,000 for charity, including the National Charity Partnership between the British Heart Foundation, Diabetes UK and Tesco, by dressing up as some of the country’s favourite fictional characters.

She first fundraised as the Queen of Hearts and has appeared as Cruella De Vil, the Easter Bunny, various princesses and even dressed as Dorothy along with her dog Poppy as Toto.

Mrs Preston is helped by her collection of handmade and made-to-measure outfits made by her dressmaker friend Janet Hartiss.

Mrs Preston, a customer assistant at Tesco in St Peters, said: “I’m turning 50 this year, but I still love dressing up as a princess the most.

"It’s a joy to see little girl’s faces when they see me.

"One little girl enjoyed it so much, she came back into the store later that day with a princess cake she had insisted on baking for me.

"In her eyes, I was a real princess and that is so heart-warming.

“I’m going to keep dressing up and fundraising for as long as I can, I really enjoy it and can combine it with my job which is great!”

Karen Robinson, fundraising manager for Worcestershire at the British Heart Foundation, said: “It is only because of people like Michele that we can continue funding our life saving research into beating heart disease.

“It’s great to see all the weird and wonderful ways our fundraisers raise money, and we are so incredibly grateful for the time and effort that they put in and the people who support them.

"By following in their footsteps you too could join our fight against heart disease and help us save lives.”