BBC Radio Manchester presenter at St Andrew's, Dearnley

BBC Radio Manchester's presenter Allan Beswick

An entertaining evening spent by 40 or so members of the congregation at St Andrew's, Dearnley, Littleborough in the company of BBC Radio Manchester's popular presenter Allan Beswick raised around £200 for the church's Wider Welcome fund.

Allan was in the hot seat for a questions-and-answers session in which he kept his audience captivated for the best part of two hours with his ready wit, impudent charm and numerous anecdotes from his career behind the microphone.

He later told church officers: "It was great fun and a pleasure to spend an evening with you in your beautiful church."

Wider Welcome is the project to improve and extend community facilities at St Andrew's to include, among many other improvements, the provision of new and improved facilities and amenities for the disabled.