A FIRM from the North-East has been accused of leaving a children's charity in the lurch by pulling out of a fashion show.

Organisers claim they were told by Mannequins, of Newcastle, that it could not afford the 800-mile round trip.

The firm was booked to stage a display of ex-catalogue clothes in Torquay, Devon, this Wednesday.

A local charity, Friends of Special Needs Children, is trying to find another firm to take over after Mannequins, run by Jackie Richardson, withdrew.

Committee member Rosalind Simmonds said: "They have let us down very badly. I doubt very much we will get anybody to step in so late on.

"We had sold 150 tickets, but last Friday they rang to say they could not come because they have not got a full week's work in the south-west to make the journey viable.

"If they had let us know at Christmas we would have had a long time to sort it out, but doing it at the last minute does not seem right.''

Jackie Richardson, who has run the business for 15 years, said: "I didn't cancel the show, I just asked a woman to postpone it, because we did not have any other shows in the area, and gave various dates.

"She went away to check, but another woman rang back and she had a bad attitude towards me. I have never come across a lady like that before.''

Mrs Richardson has returned the charity's £40 deposit