CORONATION STREET star Keith Duffy hobbled into town to ensure Durham's Christmas buying season got off to a VIP start.

The actor, who plays Irish charmer Ciarran in the ITV soap, injured his leg during filming in Manchester but still made it to the cathedral city's festive lights switch-on yesterday.

Thousands turned out to see him in the Market Place and he was mobbed by eager fans as he limped into the town hall for a reception before the event.

He met Durham University biochemistry student Laura Knowles, 20, who won the £1,000 first prize in the recent Grand Duck Race on the River Wear.

Laura, from Ulverston in Cumbria, who studies at Hatfield College, is a member of the Durham University Charities Kommittee (Duck) and was selling tickets to fellow students but only bought hers at the last minute. She plans to save some of her winnings and may spend the rest on travelling when she completes her degree.

Fellow student Kat Fewtrell, of Hild and Bede College, and Jim Mooney, from Belmont, won runners-up prizes.

The Durham City Forum, which organised the Christmas lights, also held the race with Duck and Northumbrian Water.

It raised more than £9,000, which will be split between the international charity Water Aid, St Cuthbert's Hospice, and the city's new set of Christmas lights.

The actor also presented prizes to the three young winners of the city's Christmas light design competition, whose handiwork forms part of the festive illuminations.

Alicia McGraw, six, of Finchale Primary School, Newton Hall, designed a reindeer, Alex Summerson, nine, from the same school, came up with a Christmas tree and Daniel Robson, eight, of Pittington Primary School, created a candle design.

Richard Toynbee, chairman of the Durham City Forum, said the city was lucky that Duffy had made it to the event because he is due to go into hospital today.

Meanwhile, a brass band helped people get into the Christmas spirit at a visitor attraction's craft fair yesterday.

Seaton Holme, in Hall Walks, Easington Village, the former manor house that is now a gallery and home to Groundwork East Durham, held its third fair of the year.

Easington Colliery Band serenaded visitors with a selection of carols.

There were about 14 stalls selling a wide range of hand-made craft products including jewellery, hand-painted china and woodwork

Seaton Holme spokeswoman Irene Haddick said: "The event was a great success and we had between 500 and 600 people. The band came and played inside because it was too wet outside. They were playing carols and it was wonderful. Everybody said how much they enjoyed it.''

She said the event was expected to have made a few hundred pounds for Groundwork East Durham and that a donation would be made to Children in Need.