FUN runners, music lovers and families helped a Northwich charity celebrate its 10th anniversary in festival style on Saturday.

The Joshua Tree's #JOSHFEST took place at Marbury Country Park with live music and a host of activities throughout the day.

Highlights included a 2.5km fun run around the park, which attracted 150 participants, a set from BBC DJ Mark Radcliffe's pirate-themed band Galleon Blast and a head shave led by 16-year-old Joshua Hill, whose battle with leukaemia when he was five inspired the charity's foundation.

Speaking at the event Joshua, a student at Sir John Deane's College, said: "It's an awesome day, it's the 10th anniversary of The Joshua Tree, 10 years of giving support to families going through childhood cancer.

"I was walking home one day and thought to myself 'I wonder how much I would be able to raise if I did a sponsored head shave'.

"I got home, asked my mum and she said 'well there's only one way to find out'.

"I set up the Just Giving page and I remember putting up these words: 'I've been bald before, why not do it again as a fundraiser?'

"When I got to college it was funny because I started realising that not many people knew I had cancer when I was five because it's not really a topic of conversation to new people.

"As doing the head shave became more known around college I saw there was one question people kept asking me and it was 'are you nervous?'.

"I said 'no I'm not', simply because I think I've gone through the scariest thing I could ever go through in life – battling cancer. Nothing really compares to that.

"I'm making a choice to go bald instead of it being forced on me by cancer.

"This is me saying I've won my battle with cancer, other people can too and I'm not going to let it define me any more.

"It's made me so much stronger, I'm really happy now."

He was joined in the head shave by 11-year-old Isaac Wheater, whose mum Sara works at The Joshua Tree and organised #JOSHFEST.

Between them the pair raised more than £1,900.

The festival also attracted 31 Joshuas to help the charity break the record for the most Joshuas at an event.

Sara said: "What an amazing day we had at our 10th birthday family festival #JOSHFEST!

"A huge thank you goes out to everyone who came along to join in with the fun run, have a go at the activities on offer and listen to the music.

"Over 150 runners took part in the 2.5k silly socks fun run this year and we continue to be delighted with the support we receive from the Northwich community for our events and #JOSHFEST has been the best yet."