THE Blackpool site of one of the most famous streets in the world will be paved with gold this April - hearts of gold that is - as Fylde folk dig deep to help sick children.

The World of Coronation Street will be hosting a giant street market with a difference on Sunday, April 20, to raise funds for Derian House Children's Hospice.

Stalls will be set up on the cobbled streets of the top seafront attraction where members of the public can sell goods as they would in a car-boot sale.

Sue Grindrod, head of operations at the World of Coronation Street, said: "We hope to house 40 plus stalls. It's under cover so no one need worry about the weather."

The Rovers Return will be opened up so visitors and stall holders can enjoy refreshments as they browse around the street.

Stallholders will pay a fee of £10 and admission to the event is 20p, with all proceeds going to the Chorley hospice.

Any money made from the stalls is kept by the individual stall-holders.

The partnership between The World of Coronation Street and Derian House - the first of its kind - was announced yesterday (February 5) by Sue Grindrod and Lesley Greenslade, chairman of the Derian South Fylde support group, in conjunction with Citizen Newspapers.

Derian was officially opened three-and-a-half years ago as a purpose-built hospice for terminally ill children.

It also houses an accommodation unit for families.

The hospice needs £670,000 a year to survive and receives no government or lottery funding.

It can house up to nine children at any one time and provides care for children from all over the North West from birth to 18 years of age.

To book a stall, phone Lesley Greenslade on 731094 (work) or 737289 (home).

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.