There were tears in everyone's eyes as Karen Hanson walked into the Upper George in Wibsey where the fundraising was in full flow.

Hundreds of people in the village had turned out for the event to raise money to send the cancer-stricken 39-year-old mum and her family to Florida for a poignant final holiday together.

She had said her son wanted to see Mickey Mouse more than anything else and that touched the hearts of the community.

An amazing £4,000 was raised - the biggest single fundraiser ever at the pub with a heart of gold. But what they didn't know was there was no cancer and Karen Hanson turned up merely to add weight to her lies.

Licensee Juanita Kearns said: "Cancer has touched so many people's lives. I just don't know how she could come up with such a deceit. It is so cruel.

"This pub has a marvellous record for raising money for cancer research. I fear no-one will trust me any more because of what that woman has done.

"What if I am asked to raise money again? Will I have to ask for a doctor's note as proof when someone has cancer?"

She recalled how Mrs Hanson went to the pub with her husband and a friend with the Easter Monday fun afternoon in full flow.

Her husband Paul even remarked how well Hanson looked - then felt awful for telling her so. Mrs Kearns said: "Paul had told her she looked well then came away and told me how bad he felt at saying such a thing.

"But I remember telling him it was the right thing to say - despite her supposedly having the cancer. She stayed for about an hour then left without saying goodbye to us but I assumed it was because we were so busy and never gave it a second thought.

"But how she could sit there watching it all going on - just for her - I don't know."

Among the events was a light-hearted waxing session where punters paid to rip strips off the hairiest man in the pub.

Another man lost his eyebrows and the hot wax left him with blood dripping down his face.

Mrs Kearns said: "He said it didn't matter because it was all in a good cause."

She recalled some people handing over £5 for a pint and putting the change into the collection for Hanson.

The pub was packed with regulars and other customers from further afield who had come out to support the cause.

The bar staff had dressed up as bunny girls and the men had done a spud crawl round six pubs carrying a 56lb sack of potatoes to boost the total.

Other pubs on the route included the Foresters, the Top House, Market Tavern, the Swan and the Park.

Mrs Kearns said she feels particularly badly about the event because she was one of the driving forces behind it.

"I feel as though I have let everyone down," she said.

"I was bullying them all into getting involved and gee-ing them up. I come across as bossy but everyone knows I don't really mean it.

"But the village had come together, as villages do. When someone is going through a hard time the village community comes out to help them."

She said her main worry had been that they would not raised the £1,700 needed for the holiday fund, which had been started by Morrisons in Rooley Lane, where Hanson worked in the caf.

The company wanted the extra to upgrade the family to make sure it was a trip they would never forget.

But the pub surpassed itself, smashing all expectations. One man on his own raised £1,700 through a sponsored silence and the final total was nearly £4,000.

The cash was handed over and the family went to Florida - and still the deceit continued. Mrs Kearns went to Morrisons to hand over the final instalment of about £300.

She knew Hanson was having a weekend in London and had hoped the extra cash would provide the spending money.

"When I got there I was devastated to learn they had already been and come back. But the woman who told me was in tears, saying Karen had not been at all well.

"She said she had not been able to eat anything other than baby food, she was so bad. When she told me that I filled up as well."

Despite everything, the pub held a successful fundraiser for cancer research this Easter Monday.