A record number of guests have raised £3.3m for Norwood at the charity’s annual gala dinner, which this year had a strong digital element.

The event at Grosvenor House in Mayfair was attended by 1,300 guests, but the charity estimates that with a dedicated digital dinner website, and efforts to relay the event on social media, 100,000 people will have received communication about the gala.

The £3.3m raised is significantly higher than last year’s total, £2.7m, and comes as the charity prepares to make £3m in cuts to operational costs in anticipation of local authorities withdrawing funding or not renewing contracts.

Guests at the event, including such luminaries as Simon Cowell and the Duchess of York, were encouraged to give more in light of the difficulties ahead.

Following the dinner, Norwood’s chief executive Norma Brier said: “We are delighted to have raised £3.3m. This is a wonderful achievement in this difficult economic climate and I would like to thank our supporters for their incredible generosity. However, we still need the support of the whole community to raise an additional £400,000 to ensure  that we do not have to cut services and that we are able to continue providing  the safety net that so many people rely on.”