Derian’s Starlight Stroll is off

The fancy dress sponsored stroll, which was in its fourth year and raises money for the Chorley children’s hospice, was to have had an Alice in Wonderland theme.

But just days before it was due to go ahead in Astley Park, Chorley, organisers realised that they wouldn’t have sufficient numbers this year to make it worthwhile.

So reluctantly they decided to cancel - though they hope to regroup and maybe stage a revamped event in August.

Derian House head of fundraising Susie Poppitt, said: “Like a lot of charities at the moment, we see that people are finding sponsored events more difficult - because it means asking other people for cash!

“So this year, we just didn’t get the amount of people we wanted because we like it to be a really vibrant event.”