Harry Tuffins Fun Day raises £56,000 for charity

The 20th annual Churchstoke Fun Day saw Coronation Street star Alan Halsall, who plays Tyrone Dobbs, meet legions of fans.

The event, which is sponsored by The Midcounties Co-operative, was held at the Harry Tuffins store in the town.

Topping last year's fundraising total by over £14,000, the day featured a host of activities for families to enjoy, including a dog show, craft fair, children's entertainment, helicopter rides, and fun fair.

As well as posing for photographs with visitors to the fun day, Alan got involved with cooking demonstrations, which featured a range of locally sourced foods.

For those inspired to try out some of the products for themselves, colleagues from the store were on hand to give out vouchers entitling shoppers to discounted shopping bills.

Vince Sage, manager of the Harry Tuffins store in Churchstoke, said: "For 20 years the Churchstoke Fun Day has helped to generate community spirit, and it's always great for us to give something back to the local region by sponsoring this fantastic event.

"We're incredibly proud of the amazing fundraising efforts for those who attended, all of which will go back into supporting the local community.

"We were pleased to welcome Alan Halsall as our star guest, to help us celebrate this special anniversary. It was a great day and as our most successful event to date, I'm sure it's a day that will live long in the memory here in Churchstoke." Di Bateman, head of membership engagement at The Midcounties Co-operative, was responsible for organising the event.

She said: "I'm extremely proud of the work that's gone into this year's fun day. Everybody involved worked very hard to make the 20th anniversary the best yet.

"I'd like to share my particular thanks with Graham Bullock from Harry Tuffins and Karen McNeil from The Midcounties Co-operative for their support in planning and managing this year's Fun Day."