BURNLEY'S Mayor today urged fund-raisers to get their boots on and back the town's Magic Eye walk.

Coun Gordon Birtwistle took time out from his mayoral charity work to encourage people to support the Lancashire Evening Telegraph appeal.

We are aiming to raise £200,000 for a state-of-the-art endoscopic ultrasound scanner to provide better treatment for cancers of the oesophagus and stomach, which will benefit the whole of East Lancashire.

Coun Birtwistle, who represents Coal Clough with Deerplay on Burnley Council, has pledged to use his mayoral year to raise £25,000 for a portable scanner to help the urology department at Burnley General Hospital detect prostate and testicular cancers.

He is raising the cash in memory of his father Ernest, who died from prostate cancer three years ago.

But today the Mayor said he had been urging everyone he met whilst carrying out his civic duties to take part in the Magic Eye charity walk in Burnley on Sunday, October 13.

And he is expected to complete the course himself to boost the fund-raising.

The eight walk will take fund-raisers around Burnley and Padiham and starts and finishes in the car park at Gawthorpe High School, Burnley Road, Padiham.

Already, the town's Commonwealth Games gold medal-winning gymnast Craig Heap has signed up to take part.

Coun Birtwistle said: "The Magic Eye Appeal is a super cause and I would urge anybody in Burnley who is free on the day to register now and get as many sponsors as they can.

"We are half way towards the target for my mayoral appeal and I would not want anyone to concentrate solely on my charity at the exclusion of others.

"The truth is they are both fantastic pieces of equipment which we are trying to fund and they will both benefit people in Burnley.

"Let's make the Magic Eye walk a tremendous success!"

Join the Magic Eye walk today. Fill in the form below or contact the Magic Eye office at Burnley General Hospital.