MIKE Pilkington's number was well and truly up when staff at his Hippodrome bingo club coaxed him to take part in a fund-raising event for Alder Hey's Rocking Horse Appeal.

For little did he know that the main fund-raiser planned by staff and regular customers was to slap him in stocks for a couple of hours and pelt him with rotten tomatoes and wet sponges!

By the end of the event Mike was a sorry sight, but he had managed to raise nearly £200 for the appeal fund. Other events organised by staff at the family-run, Corporation Street venue have included a car boot sale, sponsored pub crawl and second-hand book sale, which have taken the total raised to more than £3,000. The money will be handed over to Alder Hey next month.

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