THOUSANDS of people got into the Christmas spirit this weekend when Derian House Children's Hospice Winter Sparkle event came to town.

The sun shone down on Astley Park in Chorley as more than 15,000 people flooded through the gates to buy Christmas goodies and enjoy some good old-fashioned festive fun.

Shoppers stocked up on charity Christmas cards, festive gifts, and food and drink from local producers.

Children enjoyed visits to Father Christmas and his real reindeer, fairground attractions and even unicorn rides.

Event organiser Miriam Payne, said: "We are absolutely over the moon at how well the event went, with the local community really coming out in force to show their support for Derian House.

"The feedback we've had so far has been brilliant, with people saying they loved the family-friendly entertainment and how much they enjoyed the improvements we made this year to add even more stalls and spread the event out throughout the park.

"We're still busy counting the money collected on the day, but we already know we've raised significantly more than last year, which is just fantastic.

"Thank you so much to everybody who came to Winter Sparkle, and also to all of the staff and volunteers who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to pull off this huge event, and without whom Winter Sparkle simply wouldn't have been possible."