BUSKERS in Newport provided shoppers with a special concert in aid if the south east Asia tsunami disaster appeal.

Newport's street musicians gathered in John Frost Square on Saturday for a special one-off musical day to raise money for the communities devastated by the tidal wave which followed an undersea earthquake

Stephen Sillett, known locally as Shelley, and who has been playing in Newport for more than 20 years, said the day went well despite the bad weather. The buskers worked with Oxfam who provided the sealed buckets for the collection.

Mr Sillett said: "We had a very warm response from the people who came by. The boxes are still sealed so we are not yet sure how much was raised but we estimate it was in the region of £100.

"It was a really good day. After seeing the devastation and how people's lives had been affected in those regions I knew we had to do something.

"We came up with the idea of getting together for the whole day and it was a great day."

Meanwhile, customers at a Newport store found themselves in the midst of a fairytale - all in aid of the victims of the Asian tsunami.

On Saturday staff at the Tesco Extra store in Cardiff Road served customers on Saturday dressed as characters from Beauty and the Beast.

The event was designed to raise cash to help those affected by the Boxing Day disaster.

Through sponsorship from customers and collection bins the event raised more than £880 for the appeal.

It takes the total raised by the Newport store for the disaster appeal fund to a staggering £6,000.

This latest event was organised by Tesco cashiers Neil Davies and Jackie Fox.

Mr Davies said: "We felt we had to do something to help. Everyone was very generous and we raised a lot of money for a very good cause."