PROCEEDS from the opening night of the Winter Wonderland fairground in the town centre will be donated to a Warrington-based charity which will celebrate its 25th anniversary next year.

Warrington Disability Partnership (WDP) has been announced as the recipient of the funds when the fairground opens next week.

Last month, it was unveiled that the former Mr Smith's site was to be transformed into a fairground over the Christmas and new year period.

The Winter Wonderland will be open from Thursday, December 10 until Saturday, January 2, but will close on Christmas day.

Attractions include fairground rides and stalls as well as the chance to visit Father Christmas in his grotto.

Fairground owner Arthur Silcock has vowed to donate the money collected on Thursday, December 10, to WDP.

He said: "We wanted to do something special to mark the start of the opening night.

"This is a great way of doing just that."

The fair will open on December 10 from 5.30pm to 8.30pm with a special offer for ride tickets at £1.

Tickets will be £2 after the opening night.

There will be limited opening hours from December 11 to December 19 from 5pm to 8.30pm.

From December 19 to January 2, the site will be open from 1pm to 8.30pm.

The only exception is Sunday when it will be open until 6pm.

Work is already under way to pave the way for the fairground by Warrington-based firm Silcock's.

It is also understood that the car park behind the former nightclub will be closed to accommodate the fair.

The site of the former Ritz and ABC cinema has remained empty since it was demolished after a blaze destroyed the iconic building in the town centre.

Uncertainty continues to hang over the fate of the site with speculation mounting about what the future holds.

Plans were already moving forward to transform the site into a youth zone prior to the fire in April.

But these plans were halted in the wake of the blaze at the art deco building.