THE opening of Kendal's newest Indian restaurant raised £412 for the Helme Chase Maternity Unit.

The Spice Garden, on Stramongate, was opened by Kendal Mayor Coun David Birkett at the beginning of August.

The manager of the restaurant, Imran Miah, invited opening-night diners to make a donation to the maternity unit instead of paying for their meal.

The money raised will go towards the refurbishment of a home-from-home birthing room at Helme Chase.

The user-friendly room will be completed this autumn and will create a more relaxed and less clinical environment in which to give birth.

Helme Chase senior midwife/manager Angela Oxley, who attended the opening on behalf of the unit, explained: "It's the nearest thing to a home birth."