Children suffering from cancer who have lost their hair as a result of chemotherapy have taken inspiration from bald television star Richard O'Brien.

The creator of the Rocky Horror Show and presenter of Crystal Maze has now taken to raising money for the sick youngsters.

He visited child cancer sufferers at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, in Pendlebury, Greater Manchester, on Friday.

And he is holding a number of events in the city today to raise funds for a new dedicated bone marrow unit at the hospital.

Richard O'Brien: "My being bald is my choice"

Mr O'Brien said: "When I was doing the Crystal Maze I used to get messages and letters from nurses and from families of children who were undergoing chemotherapy.

"And I was somehow a kind of 'It's alright, because now you look like the bloke off the Crystal Maze.'"

He added: "My being bald is my choice. Their losing their hair is not their choice and that is the chemo that does that.

"It cannot be a happy experience for anybody to be going through because, even the all-clear is very often not really an all-clear at all."

Helen Salkie, of the Wallness Children's Charity which is raising money for the bone marrow unit, said Mr O'Brien was an inspiration to patients.

Children's needs

She said: "The children can identify with the fact that he has no hair.

"I think, when you are in that situation, to be able to see somebody come along and give you encouragement is what those children need."

Mr O'Brien was collecting money from city centre shoppers on Saturday as well as staging a family-oriented 'drag race' in the city's Triangle Shopping Centre and staging a champagne reception at the city's Palace Hotel.