THE Chester-le-Street fundraising group for St Cuthbert's Hospice, Durham, is organising a coach trip to the Lake District on Saturday, July 12.

Two coaches have been laid on, and tickets cost £9. The coach will leave Chester-le-Street Market Place at 8.15am and pick up passengers in Durham at 8.30am. Trips are also planned to York on Saturday, September 13, and Edinburgh on Saturday, November 8. For further information, and to book tickets, contact the fundraising team at the hospice on 0191-386 1170.

SKIP DAY: Pupils and teachers took up skipping ropes to raise cash for charity yesterday. Youngsters and staff at Greencroft School, in Annfield Plain, near Stanley, took part in the British Heart Foundation Jump Off event. It aimed to raise funds for heart research, while promoting the health benefits of exercise. PE teacher Debra Woodley oversaw teams of six, who took turns skipping for a total of two hours.

BOUNCING BABIES: The Just Learning nursery, Bearpark, near Durham, raised £200 for charity with a sponsored "super bounce". Every day for a week, the tots bounced on large, rubber balls, or on a bouncy castle or a trampoline, to raise money for the charity, Happy Days, which provides trips away for children in need of a holiday, such as those who are disabled or have suffered some kind of trauma. A further £500 has been raised for the charity by Andrew Manley, of High Shincliffe, near Durham, through a parachute jump.

SLIPPERY CUSTOMERS: More than £500 was raised for the Reptile Trust when the charity recently exhibited a pair of 4ft rescued snakes at Dobbies Garden World, Birtley, near Gateshead. The charity helps exotic animals that have been mistreated.

TRUST MEETING: Durham and Chester-le-Street Primary Care Trust will hold its next board meeting on Thursday, at 9.30am, at Bullion Hall, Bullion Lane, Chester-le-Street. Members of the public are welcome to attend.

COUNCIL STANDARDS: A meeting of Chester-le-Street District Council's standards committee will be held in Conference Room 3 at the Civic Centre, Newcastle Road, Chester-le-Street, on Thursday, at 4.30pm.

TREASURE HUNT: Richard Halliman, a resident of of Glendale House residential home, Blackhall Colliery, east Durham, was yesterday presented with a treasure chest of goodies, including wine and chocolates, after winning County Durham Care's Armchair Treasure Hunt. Participants had to navigate their way around the county's roads from their armchair using maps, routes and instructions.