[Nicky.]

CELEBRITIES from the country's favourite soaps will be in Chester tomorrow for a charity ball and football match.
Famous faces from (ITALS) Hollyoaks, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Casualty, Shameless and The Bill will take part in an annual 11-a-side football match at the Deva Stadium, to be followed by a sellout star-studded charity ball at the Owners and Trainers Pavilion Suite at Chester Racecourse.

Organisers hope hundreds of fans will turn out at 1pm to the £5-a-head football match which, it is hoped, will raise thousands of pounds for two good causes, Claire House Children's Hospital at Bebington, Wirral and and Alder Hey Children's Hospital in the city of Liverpool where most of the Hollyoaks filming now takes place, even though the setting for the programme is still Chester.

Hollyoaks star Nick Pickard, seen on screen as chef and restaurant owner Tony Hutchinson, came up with the idea of the Soapstar Football Challenge which is now in its second year.

He said: "Hollyoaks has been going for 13 years and we've been going to so many charity functions we thought we would do one ourselves. All the cast really enjoy doing it and we get up singing. It's a really good night.
"I know all the guys on the opposition team and we've all been playing football together for years. We raised about £30,000 last year and I'm hoping it will be even better this time around.
"We are raising money for the Alder Hey Hospital's Imagine Appeal and Claire House Hospice, two really worthwhile causes. They are charities we have done a lot for over the years.

"I'm really looking forward to the day and hopefully we will get a lot of people down to Deva Stadium."
Actress Carley Stenson, the longest-serving female cast member as Steph Dean, added: "It is a pleasure. We all put on a bit of a show. It is a lot of fun on the day and we just want to raise as much money for the charities as we can. Chester is a beautiful city I enjoy coming out here, especially for the shopping."
The event marks a return to the city for the long running Chester-based soap, something tourism team Visit Chester and Cheshire, who will be selling match tickets from the Town Hall tourist information centre, are keen to take advantage of.

Chief executive Chris Brown said: "Chester is providing a back drop for the show and we want to develop opportunities and make more of those opportunities.

"From an outsider's perspective, they will believe Hollyoaks is set in Chester and anything that gets us access to a market that we know will have an impact on a large percentage is good."

From here

Was thinking of going actually, but I don't know :\ xD

It's £5 on the door apparently >.<