'WE'RE mad.'

That's the refreshingly honest answer to why three families from Chester and Wirral decided to hold a 'Wear-a-Wig Wednesday' event in the fishing village of Whitby.

Wig spokeswoman Helen Chester, 32, who has the perfect name to act as ambassador for the city where she lives, explained what the trip to North Yorkshire was all about.

She said: 'We went away to Anglesey at the beginning of the year for a long weekend and held a 'Silly Hat Saturday' which was a success.

'We do it to amuse the children. The kids love it.'

Retracting her earlier statement about being mad, Helen added: 'We're quite normal ­ honestly! We just do it for a bit of fun.'

Helen went away with partner Mark Purtill, 41, with whom she lives in Heath Terrace, Upton, Chester, plus her three children Kyle, 13, who goes to Upton High School, Abigail, nine, and Emma-Lea, six, who both attend Westlea Primary School.

Kyle wore a Harry Enfield 'Kevin the teenager' style hat and hair, Abigail wore a long pink psychedelic wig and Emma-Lea had a silver creation.

Also on the trip were John and Keri Huff, the landlord and landlady of the Wheatsheaf pub in Heath Road.

John wore an amusing toupe and Kerry had a Mary Quant style purple wig.

Their daughter Stephanie, 12, who goes to Upton High School, wore a long red wig, horns and a feather boa and her four-year-old sister Shannon, who has just started at Upton Heath Primary, wore a multi-coloured afro.

Then there was Martin and Mo Critchley from Birkenhead. Mo, who wore a long black wig, works in the restaurant at the Wheatsheaf and in a normal week Martin, who wore an orange punk style rug, is a sales manager.

Helen said: 'It was good fun. No one had the same wig as anyone else. On Wednesday morning we got up and spent half an hour laughing at each other.

'We kept the wigs on all day. It got a bit itchy!'

She said her boyfriend Mark, who wore an afro, was amazed at the looks he got from the people of Whitby. 'He took photos of people staring at us,' she said and explained that the group had their picture taken by the local paper.

The families stayed at Goathland, near Whitby, where ITV's Heartbeat is filmed, where they caused a stir driving round in Mark's three wheeler Lomax kit car called Hector.

They also met stars Jason Durr who plays PC Mike Bradley plus Lesley Grantham who was taking part in one episode.

Helen and Mark, who run a business in St Thomas's Pathway, Chester, importing cars from Europe, enjoyed 'Wear-a-Wig Wednesday' so much they want to make it a national day.'