SOUL band Simply Red will play an outdoor gig at a beauty spot in the region next summer, it has been announced.

The group, fronted by flame-haired singer Mick Hucknall, will perform at Dalby Forest, near Pickering, North Yorkshire, on June 26.

Cash raised will be ploughed back into caring for local woodlands.

This is the ninth year that the Music in the Forest tour has called at the 8,600 acre North York Moors beauty spot. Previous acts have included Pulp, Paul Weller and Status Quo.

Organiser Paul Cody said: "Past performers at Dalby read like a who's who of the British rock scene and Simply Red raise the bar once again. They are superb live performers who combine the very best elements of pop and northern soul. It will be a terrific mid-summer night's entertainment in the forest."

Simply Red's hits include Holding Back The Years and If You Don't Know Me By Now.

Tickets for the 5,000-capacity show, priced at £38 plus a booking fee, will go on sale on Friday, at 9am.

Call the ticket hotline on 01842-814612 or visit forestry.gov.uk/music.