Homemade cookies, colourful handicrafts and an arcade claw machine were among the attractions at the annual Singapore Press Holdings (SPH ) Charity Carnival yesterday.

Now in its eighth year, the bustling event boasted 35 stalls - the largest number to date and an appropriate figure, given the company's 35th anniversary.

A total of $31,122.40 was raised, more than double the sum last year. All proceeds will go to charity.

Twenty-one of the booths were run by external local charities, with the 14 SPH divisions and subsidiaries in charge of the rest to raise funds for their respective adopted charities.

This year's carnival also saw first-time participation from charities such as Guide Dogs Singapore, Morning Star Community Services, Club Rainbow, Tamar Village and Fei Yue Community Services.

Ms Elina Lo, 21, a full-time worker at Morning Star Community Services, described the event as a "communal experience".

"It's really great to see all the charities coming together," she said, adding that she hopes Morning Star will return for next year's event.

The carnival was organised by SPH's corporate communications and corporate social responsibility division and Staff Volunteers Club.

Ms Joyz Tan, senior manager of Fei Yue Family Service Centre, said: "Through the sales at the carnival, we are able to continue to empower more low-income individuals to earn a supplementary income."

Ms Lee Gee Jiong, senior production manager (pre-press) at SPH, was part of a team of volunteers who woke up at 5am to prepare homemade vegetable curry, chick peas and glutinous rice to sell.

"It is very encouraging to see everyone coming together," she said. "Our team is very passionate about this event as it is a yearly affair for us."

Besides the SPH Charity Carnival, the company has also launched the Double the Love fund-raising campaign with Community Chest, in conjunction with its 35th anniversary.

For every dollar donated through the campaign, SPH and SPH Foundation will match this, up to a cap of $350,000.