Pancakes were flying around Market Place as teams battled it out to be crowned king of the flippers at the annual pancake race.

The event is organised in aid of Macclesfield Hospital’s charity ECHO - which helps fund up to date equipment, treatment and staff across the East Cheshire NHS Trust service.

Eighteen teams of four competed to be the fastest to run up and down Chestergate while tossing a pancake, and it was a team from 'Cleaning 4 Causes’ who were this year's fastest flippers.

Fiona Doorey, head of fundraising for ECHO, said: “The day went really well despite the challenges we faced with the snow, freezing rain and gusting winds.

“The pancake race has gone from strength to strength since we started running it for ECHO in 2014 and we had a record 18 teams enter this year – some of them had to cancel because of travel issues caused by the snow, however Cheshire East Council did a great job of gritting the course so it was safe for the race to go ahead and Macclesfield Town Council kindly provided us with a marquee which gave some much-needed shelter from the elements.

“The teams were great sports taking part, even though some of their outfits didn’t provide the best insulation from the snow, and everyone certainly had lots of fun. We are grateful to everyone who supported us and hope the event helped to further raise awareness of ECHO – the official charity of East Cheshire NHS Trust which raises money for local NHS services including those provided at Macclesfield Hospital.”

The winning team was from the 'Cleaning 4 Causes’, with a team from Big Brand Ideas earning the best fancy dress title.

Pete Turner, clerk from Macclesfield Town Council, which also entered a team, said: “It’s great to see the hard work of ECHO delivering yet another great Pancake Race.

“Despite the weather, runners and spectators braved the elements and everyone enjoyed the races and joined in with the spirit of the event. It was really encouraging to see that so many of those taking part put a lot of effort in to their costumes.

“Our thanks go out to everyone who took part and took the time to support the event and we are sure that ECHO will continue to receive the full support from the community of Macclesfield.”