THE Red Rose Festival kicks-off next Thursday and there will be plenty to do throughout the borough for people of all ages.

This year, Coronation Street actress Jodie Hamblet will be the first ever Red Rose Festival Princess for the month-long extravaganza to raise money fro Bury Hospice.

The event will allow people to test their mental and physical strengths as well as enjoy musical performances and treat themselves to some slap-up food and drink.

Perhaps you fancy the Holcombe Hill Challenge on April 17. Or maybe you want to test your mental prowess with the President's Quiz Night, which opens the festival on Thursday.

On April 2 there is a Red Rose Ball at the Longfield Suite in Prestwich with a reception at 7pm and a five-course dinner at 7:30pm.

And on April 23, St George's Day, there will be a St Georges Day Old English Dinner and St George's Day Concert at Radcliffe Civic Suite at 7:30pm.

The festival concludes with a chance for people to board a Pullman-style dining coach on the 'Red Rose Special' on the East Lancashire Railway on April 29.

The festival, which is in its 13th year, raises around £30,000 each year for the hospice situated in Dumers Lane, Radcliffe.

To mark the Red Rose Festival and to help the hospice reach its target, local people can make a donation and buy a red rose from shops and other retail outlets throughout the borough.

For further information visit the fundraising centre at 89 The Rock, Bury or ring 01617971748.