The fourth annual Crème de la Crème Ball took place in the grounds of Warford Hall, the private residence of the hosts Ashley and Dawn Ward.

Hundreds of guests descended upon the starlit marquee for one of the most glamorous events in the Cheshire social calendar.

Organised by Entertainment Today Events Ltd, this year the occasion turned wild with its Animal Instincts theme. Guests were greeted by giant stilt-walking zebras and models dressed as panthers and lions.

The guest list included Coronation Street stars Kym Marsh and Simon Gregson, Waterloo Road’s Chelsee Healey, Emmerdale’s Charley Webb, Sammy Winward and Sheree Murphy, along with Premier League footballers’ wives and partners Coleen Rooney, Alex Gerrard, Kaya Hall and Hayley Fletcher.

Guests were entertained during dinner by Britain’s Got Talent finalist and impressionist Francine Lewis; upcoming girl band The Vixens and X Factor finalist Christopher Maloney who debuted his first UK single.

The event raised over £130,000 for the Caudwell Children charity, which provides family support services, equipment, treatment and therapies for disabled youngsters and their families across the UK. They also run the Enable Sport programme for disabled athletes and the Destination Dreams holiday for children fighting life threatening conditions.

Darby Ward, daughter of Ashley and Dawn, took to the stage with Jonathan Bremner to perform a self-penned song with lyrics which conveyed the life of the children the charity sets out to help.

Ashley and Dawn’s second daughter, Taylor, teamed up with Key 103 DJ Darren Proctor to compere the event. The headline act The Wanted performed a series of their chart-topping hits to a packed dance floor. Crème de la Crème regular Ruth Lorenzo finished off the live entertainment with a selection of rock classics including her trademark song Purple Rain.