HUNDREDS of people put on their blue suede dancing shoes to pay tribute to the king of rock n roll on Wednesday.

The hits of Elvis Presley could be heard in the air across Darlington as rockers joined thousands of fans across the globe in paying tribute to the music legend on the 40th anniversary of his death.

The spirit of rock n roll was found to be alive and well at Darlington Fire Station, where hordes of rocking revellers took to the dance floor to celebrate the life of the rock n roll star.

Party-goers paid a lively homage to their idol by donning Elvis costumes and 1950s dress before showcasing their best swing-dancing, pelvis-thrusting moves during celebrations hosted by Age UK Darlington.

Councillors, fire crews and Darlington’s town crier Peter Stemmer were among those spotted at the lively event, which also served as a celebration of the charity’s 30th anniversary.

It was Age UK Darlington’s second annual Elvis party, with an impromptu inaugural event last year attracting more than 100 people.

The charity’s anniversary celebrations attracted funding from the Big Lottery Fund’s Celebrate project.

As a result, more than 200 people were invited to enjoy an afternoon of music, food and fun, including performances from the charity’s ukulele band, karaoke sessions and rock n roll DJ sets.

Age UK Darlington’s chief executive, Gillian Peel, said: “We wanted funding to do something special because last year, with just a few days’ notice, loads of people descended upon our first Elvis party and had a great time.

“This time, within a week we sold out. Our customers and our volunteers know how to party.

“We threw it in honour of Elvis because who doesn’t want to dance to his songs? Everyone who was around at the time remembers where they were when he died.

“Having a celebration for him at the same time as celebrating our own anniversary is great and we’ve had all sorts going on. The atmosphere has been absolutely brilliant and we had people up and dancing before it had even started.”