DISNEY princesses, stormtroopers and many a nemesis of Batman descended on Bolton’s Macron Stadium for an annual comic convention.

Host North West Comic Cons welcomed thousands of people to the Horwich venue on Saturday, many dressed as their favourite characters from the magical worlds of TV and cinema.

There was a large cosplaying contingency happy to pose for photographs while making their way through a large variety of retailers selling everything geeky and collectable.

Organiser Paul Prescott, originally from Wigan but who now lives in Bolton, said: “We started doing it three years ago and it’s gone from strength to strength.”

Mr Prescott, aged 39, who has three young children himself, said he had gone to similar events in the past and found them not to be particularly family-friendly.

He added: “So I thought it would be good to have one a bit different, a bit more relaxed in with space so you can push prams around, for example.

“I’m just trying to give local families a good day out, and of course I enjoy it myself — it’s a nice way to make a living.

“The event has gone really well and the numbers have been good.

“I think the big attraction of things like this is it is fun for the young ones, but also it is just a good excuse to be a kid again for the adults.”

J Challinor, aged 23, travelled from Liverpool for the event and came dressed as Flynn Rider, from Disney's 2010 animated feature film, ‘Tangled’.

She said: “I love the costumes; making them, being in them and acting in them.

“I make my costumes myself, it is my hobby – I put a lot of time and effort into it.

“Some people go out and get drunk, but I like to stay in and make these costumes.

“They are really sociable days as well, you always end up making new friends at these things.

“This is one of the more family-oriented events too, it’s a nice atmosphere.”

Caitlin Simprin, from Bolton, came in an Emma Swan costume, the character from US TV show ‘Once Upon a Time’.

The 28-year-old said: “It’s more natural for me to be in costume than not – I don’t think of it as ‘what’ I am wearing, but ‘who’ I am wearing.

“I might never be a movie star, but in my head I can always pretend to be, that’s what’s great about comic cons.”