BANNATYNE health clubs across the region have helped the leisure group raise almost £140,000 for a charity that literally puts smiles on children’s faces.

Bannatyne Group owner Duncan Bannatyne is an ambassador of Operation Smile; an international children’s medical charity that provides free surgeries for youngsters born with cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities.

My Bannatyne encourages his staff to raise money for the charity and his clubs across the county have raised an impressive £139,000.

Clubs in Durham, Ingleby Barwick, Coulby Newham, Chester le Street and Darlington contributed £1,900 to that amount thanks to their various fundraising events and initiatives.

Mr Bannatyne, who is currently in Australia starring in ITV’s ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here’, recently visited Vietnam with Operation Smile, following previous trips to Mexico to see for himself the life-changing work being carried out by the charity.

Mr Bannatyne, says he found the experience “humbling and deeply moving”, when he joined Operation Smile volunteers who provided life-changing reconstructive surgery to 118 children born with this severe and debilitating condition.

Scott Snyder, executive director of Operation Smile UK, described the support and events put on by Bannatyne members and staff as “phenomenal”.

He added: “The hundreds of people who took part in the many different events across the UK have helped to change countless children’s lives, for which we are incredibly grateful.

“We’d like to congratulate everyone who took part on raising such an amazing sum.”