Fundraisers in Kelsall have named this year’s village May Queen during a charity gala to raise money for North West Cancer Research.

The Kelsall-based fundraising committee has held its spring gala for the past 39 years – raising hundreds of thousands of pounds for life-saving cancer research.

Last year it brought back one of the area’s oldest traditions, the crowing of the May Queen and this year Ruby Wisbey from Kelsall Primary School was chosen to take the crown and lead the Gala’s headline event the May Queen Parade.

Ruby was crowned by Professor Ross Sibson, a researcher based at the North West Cancer Research Centre at the University of Liverpool.

As well as the May Queen Parade the gala festivities included a six-a- side football tournament with local primary school teams, a space hopper race organised by Active Cheshire and a selection of stalls selling crafts, plant, vintage products and books.

Held at Kelsall Primary School, this year’s gala has so far raised £2,560 which will be donated to North West Cancer Research to support life-saving cancer research projects in the region.

The Kelsall Gala started as a garden sale nearly 40 years ago. Organised by Lillian Lightfoot, who lost her husband to cancer, it was a great success with the local community and ran for several years.

Lillian sadly died of cancer some years later, but determined to carry on the family legacy, her daughter Angela Harrop turned the garden sale into the charity gala it is today with the support for the Kelsall-based fundraising committee for North West Cancer Research.

Angela said: “The charity gala receives a lot of support from the Kelsall community every year. It’s great to see my parent’s legacy carry on and to raise so much money for cancer research.

“Bringing back the May Queen tradition has been brilliant; it really adds a sense of community spirit to the event and makes it something for all the family to enjoy. I’m sure Ruby will make a wonderful Queen this year and do us all proud.

“I want to say a big thank you to everyone who came along and gave so generously, to all our volunteers, to Kelsall Primary School and finally to the other members of the fundraising committee – without whom none of this would be possible.

“Cancer is something which affects so many people – I myself have lost both my parents to it – which is why every penny we raise to help support research into stopping cancer is so important.”