THE festive season has clicked into gear across Ainsworth.

Christ Church Ainsworth Primary School held a highly successful Christmas fair, which raised more than £3,500 for new laptop computers and IT equipment, and equipment for an outdoor play area.

Hundreds of people attended the fair at the Tommy Lane school, with stalls, games and Santa’s grotto.

PTA chairman Janine Lomax said: “It was a fantastic day. We’re really pleased to have raised so much money. The pupils will really benefit from all the new things the money will buy.”

Ainsworth Methodist Church held its first-ever Christmas tree festival.

Businesses and community groups decorated 25 trees and put them on display in the schoolroom.

Children from the Sunday school depicted the nativity on one tree and a pre-school group decorated another with colourful angels.

The festival ran for three days and visitors tucked into mince pies and coffee.

Organiser John Mills said: “The variety of the decorations was amazing. We were pleased that so many people decorated a tree and supported the event, to help our church.”