THE wedding dress worn by television news presenter Carol Malia will be among the exhibits at a charity fashion show.

The gown worn by the BBC1 Look North presenter will be on display in The Three Tuns Hotel, Durham City next Thursday.

The show is being staged to raise funds towards a unit extension at St Cuthbert's Hospice, which will provide 24-hour in-patient care for people with life-threatening illnesses.

Ms Malia said: "I chose the perfect wedding dress - perfect for July, that is.

"Sadly, the wedding was in February and at the end of one of the snowiest weeks we have ever had. I didn't stand outside the hall too long for the photos and many of the relatives refused to leave the fireside. One of them even suggested white wellies for the day."

She added: "I'm delighted to think that my dress, which was part of such a happy occasion for me, can be part of helping such a worthwhile cause."

Sharing the stage will be the wedding dress worn by Prime Minister's wife, Cherie Blair, along with dozens of other gowns dating as far back as 1868.

The collection of more than 170 dresses has been put together by Kevin Thornhill, from East Herrington, Wearside.

The 43-year-old former designer, who worked under Terry Fox and went on to work with the Emanuels, designers of Princess Diana's gown, began his hobby following the death of his grandmother, in 1982.

While the house was being cleared, a large number of family wedding dresses were discovered, including one belonging to his great-grandmother, which is now too fragile to be worn.

Now, the local government worker in Durham City stages regular charity shows across the region.

Tickets for the show, which starts at 7.30pm, are priced £5 and are available from the hospice on 0191-386 1170.

Money raised during the show will go towards the hospice's Key Appeal, launched earlier this year to build a £3.2m in-patient unit for St Cuthbert's.

Fundraisers, backed by The Northern Echo, need to raise another £1.3m to turn the dream of a ten-bed unit offering round-the-clock care for patients into reality.

* A flag day held in Durham city centre on Saturday, September 24, raised £487.99 for St Cuthbert's. Organisers would like to thank all those who donated.