A POPULAR civic tradition is being revived in Lowestoft this evening when the Mayor's Charity Ball is held at the Hotel Victoria.Lowestoft Mayor Frank Mortimer and his wife Trish will be welcoming invited guests to the event which is raising funds for four charities.

A POPULAR civic tradition is being revived in Lowestoft this evening when the Mayor's Charity Ball is held at the Hotel Victoria.

Lowestoft Mayor Frank Mortimer and his wife Trish will be welcoming invited guests to the event which is raising funds for four charities.

'I am sure there must have been civic balls in Lowestoft in the past but there has not been any since the local government reforms in 1974 when Waveney District Council came into being. I believe the ball will help promote Lowestoft and also raise much-needed funds for very deserving causes,' said Mr Mortimer.

The charities set to benefit from the event are the Royal National Mission for Deep Sea Fishermen, Parkinson's Disease Society, Waveney Hospice Care and the Alzheimer's Society.

The mayor and mayoress have been delighted with the support and encouragement they have received since they began organising the civic ball last year.

'Everyone we approached for help has been simply marvellous,' said Mr Mortimer.

'The tickets have all been sold and we have a reserve list if people cannot make it. We have had more than 40 donations for the raffle and there are some superb prizes on offer,' he said.

Some of the prizes include a theatre weekend in London, the hire of the latest Honda Civic Type R car for a weekend, a Royal Doulton canteen of cutlery, and a �50 voucher for the Hotel Victoria.

Singer Anna Ross, 16, of Carlton Colville, will be providing the cabaret during the evening.

It is hoped the mayor's civic ball will become an annual fixture in the Lowestoft civic calendar.

'The event is entirely self-funding with no money coming from the district council or from the mayor's allocation. With local charities benefitting everyone is a winner,' said Mr Mortimer.