SOLICITORS in the North-East are giving up their time and expertise this month to draw up wills or update new ones free of charge.

Anyone interested will be asked to make a donation of £50 to the Butterwick Hospice at Bishop Auckland or the Butterwick Children's Hospice in Stockton. Single Wills can be written for £50 while £75 will cover a pair of matching wills. The service is available in Barnard Castle, Bishop Auckland, Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Stockton. For details of a solicitor's practice in your area call (01642) 624231.

THREE CHARGED: A youth and two boys have been charged in connection with the mugging of a nine-year-old boy for his mountain bike. Jack Tenwick's bike was stolen as he cycled along the Black Path, off Rydal Road, in Darlington, on Easter Monday. A 17-year-old male and two 12-year-old boys, all from Darlington, will appear at the town's youth court charged with robbery on Friday. The Freerider Sentel bike has been recovered by police.

WEB WORKSHOPS: Free workshops are being offered to people who want to set up a community website. The sessions, hosted by The Northern Echo's CommuniGate programme, take place at Darlington Library, in Crown Street, every Friday, from 10am to noon. Free websites are available to non-profit groups and charities. Call Andrew Hutton on (01325) 505270 or visit the CommuniGate website at www.communigate.co.uk/ne

FOSTER PLEA: Children's charity Barnardo's is appealing for more foster carers in the North-East to give homes to youngsters. The charity's family placement unit is eager to find homes for children with complex needs and challenging behaviour. Anyone interested is asked to contact the unit, on 0191-240 4814.

FASHION SHOW: New College Durham will be holding a fashion show on Thursday. The show will take place at the college's Nevilles Cross site, in the main hall and clothes supplied by a number of Durham stores will be modelled. The college's beauty therapy department has organised the event, which is to raise money for cancer research. The evening takes place between 6pm and 9pm, and tickets cost £2.50.

PEACE TALK: Peace Action Durham will be hosting a talk about the arms trade, with particular reference to the war in Iraq, on Wednesday, May 21. The meeting takes place at Southlands, Lower Gilesgate, Durham at 8pm. Contact 0191-384 7727 for more details.

QUAKERS TICKETS: Tickets for the new Darlington FC stadium will go on sale from Saturday, May 31. The ticket office will open at 10am and will sell season and day tickets all week.