Brides from across Esher relived their wedding memories in the splendid surroundings of Sandown Park racecoursewhen they attended a fundraising wedding ball on Saturday.

Over £14,000 was raised for Kingston Hospital's Born Too Soon charity, making it an emotional achievement for Alice Austin, who organised it as a private party but ended up selling 200 tickets.

She said: "My daughter Gillian died three years ago aged 31, and this fundraising ball was something that she always wanted to do but never got the chance. It was held in her memory."

The night included a champagne reception, three-course dinner and dancing to a nine-piece band. The guests were all announced as they walked into the ballroom.

Alice said: "Some girls bought a new wedding dress for the ball, because they've pulled their old one out and decided it was too old-fashioned, and some women even replicated their original wedding bouquets and arrived in cars with ribbons and tin-cans attached."

A charity auction, including dinner for two at the Ivy and an all-expenses holiday in Spain, further bolstered the coffers.

Alice's daughter Gillian became involved with Born Too Soon after she gave birth 10 weeks prematurely to her first baby Tom.

"She had pre-eclampsia and had to have an emergency Caesarian operation at 30 weeks. He was very ill and spent a long time in the neonatal unit at Kingston Hospital," Alice said.

When Gillian became pregnant for the second time three years ago, she developed flu-like symptoms at 26 weeks. Meningitis was diagnosed and she died two weeks later.