That was a well-attended Jobs Fair held in Bury which allowed a clutch of local companies the chance to fill hundreds of seasonal and permanent vacancies.

Around 500 people took part in the fair which was held at Bury Town Hall.

Bury mayor Councillor Paul Nesbit performed the opening ceremony before going round each of the 19 companies which had taken out stands. The Jobs Fair allowed businesses the opportunity to promote their vacancies directly to the public.

And it allowed them to recruit staff for the busy Christmas sales period as well as filling permanent positions.

Among the employers which took part in the event were Boots, Dixons, Village Hotel, Wilkinson's, Bury Council, TK Maxx, BT Cellnet and Argos.

The fair was staged by Employment Service.

Their district marketing manager Mr Mike Schofield said: "It was a very good day and more than 500 people attended.

"Many other local businesses have been contacting our Jobcentres to discuss their recruitment needs for the run-up to Christmas.

"The message is, if you are looking for temporary work, contact your local Jobcentre to register your interest."

And he continued: "We have good news too for people who are put off taking temporary work because of the hassle of renewing their benefit claims when the job ends.

"The Employment Service, in conjunction with the Benefits Agency, have introduced a new 'fast track' benefit re-claim procedure available to people taking temporary jobs."