A PUB celebrated the anniversary of the end of the second world war and helped raise money for heroes fighting today.

The Duke of Wellington on the High Street in Epping organised the event to follow Victory in Europe (VE) Day on May 8.

A barbecue, face painting, games karaoke and a raffle were held throughout the weekend, with money raised from the day going to the Help for Heroes charity which supports injured soldiers.

DJ at the pub Chris Brandi said: "We did it because of Georgie Sparks who died out fighting in Afghanistan last year. He's from Epping and after his funeral some of his colleagues came into the pub for a drink.

"We wanted to do something to say thank you for everything they do for our country and thought the Help for Heroes cause was the best way to do this.

"Everyone had a great time and people were very generous and kept throwing money in for donations."