BISHOP Auckland was in the pink at the weekend as fundraisers of all ages turned out to support breast cancer charities.

Eleven friends from St John's Catholic School spent two hours packing shoppers' bags on Saturday at Asda, which is raising money for research through a national Tickled Pink campaign.

The girls, Danielle Shuttleworth, Farrah Towers, Holly Cullen, Dee-ann Shields, Natalie Walker, Danielle Thompson, Hannah Lonsdale, Bronwyn Trueman, Caroline Taylor, Rebecca Docherty, all aged 13, and 14-year-old Natalie Towers were helped by Danielle Shuttleworth's 11-year-old brother, Ben.

They followed up the bag pack by going without sleep on Saturday night, raising about £700 from both efforts.

Most of the girls know people affected by breast cancer. They were inspired by a talk at a school assembly which taught them the importance of research.

Outside the Hippodrome bingo hall, in Railway Street, on Saturday lunchtime, assistants Liam Stockley and Sam Turvey were gunged by customers and passers-by.

In addition, Liam had his head shaved and legs waxed on Friday night, when customers and staff built a wall of copper coins and filled buckets with spare change to support the cause.

Bishop Auckland MP Helen Goodman joined Lodstone Patient Care staff in the General Hospital's MRI unit to mark Wear it Pink day for breast cancer awareness.

The company's managing director, Patrick Byrne, said: "Wear it Pink day is a critical day in the calendar for breast cancer awareness.

"The money raised drives awareness of this disease and we know from our clinical experience that greater awareness saves lives, thanks to earlier diagnosis."