A FORMER pink-haired punk from Pershore has added sparkle to a colourful campaign to bring back the town's Christmas lights.

Toyah Willcox, star of "I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!", and husband Robert Fripp, a former rock star, have written in support of campaigners who marched in Pershore on Saturday to campaign for the return of good old-fashioned Christmas lights.

Toyah wrote to campaign organisers: "Both myself and my husband are very concerned that Pershore's Christmas lights are returned to the brilliant example of earlier years.

"We would love to see the Christmas lights restored to include the whole High Street and Bridge Street."

The march attracted about 60 people as campaigners carrying banners reading "Don't Give Us A Ghost Town" and "Bring Back Our Lights" made their way from the Pershore Bridges car park to the Civic Centre in Queen Elizabeth Drive to roars of support from traders who have had a difficult year following the floods.

Organiser Trudy Burge, 38, was joined on the march by son Aaron, 12, and daughter Tori, nine, as well as their friends, twins Lynda and Sue Forse, both nine, and Becky Williams, also nine.

Mrs Burge of Church Street, said: "We're over the moon to have Toyah's support. It's really nice to hear from someone in the public eye who feels as strongly about this as the rest of us. These lights light up people's lives - it's important."

Pershore Town Council decided not to put up the Christmas lights after health and safety tests deemed the buildings not strong enough to hold their weight.

The town council has agreed to put an allowance in next year's budget to carry out tests to see if the lights can be brought back.

Mrs Burge, born and bred in the town, said councillors would pay through the ballot box if the lights were not twinkling this Christmas.

She added: "People are sick and fed up - they are really cross about this now. The old display was so unique and breathtaking."