COUNTRY crafts, badge-making and a view of the stars from Australia at the planetarium are some of the events at the Castle Eden Walkway fair on Sunday.

The fair will run from 11am to 4pm and attractions include a bird of prey display and a Punch and Judy show. Entrance to the fair is free. The Planetarium costs £6 for a family ticket, £3 for an adult and £1.50 per child.

NVQ SUCCESS: Clinical assistant Marsha Challinor and dispensing assistant Julie Barton, both from Specsavers Opticians in Redcar, have passed their NVQ in customer service.

BEDROOM BLAZE: Firefighters tackled a small fire at a house in Windsor Court, Grangetown, on Saturday. Officers used a jet and breathing apparatus to extinguish the bedroom blaze. No one was hurt.

BIN ARRANGEMENTS: Residents who usually have refuse bins collected on Wednesdays have been asked not to put their wheelie bins out this week. This is due to the expected disruptions to services caused by the one-day national strike by council workers. The bins will be collected as normal on Wednesday, July 24.

TRAFFIC LIGHTS: The B1380 Low Lane road in Stockton will be closed from today until Thursday, August 1. Autolink, which is carrying out bridge refurbishment work on the nearby A19 underbridge, will install temporary traffic lights.

LEAP OF FAITH: Twenty volunteers are to abseil off the Transporter Bridge in Middlesbrough for charities. The young people, all part of Stockton Borough's Millennium Volunteers initiative, are taking their charity plunge on Sunday.

PICK IT UP: Pupils of Stockton's Norton Secondary School have taken part in a litter pick. Concentrating on the hedgerow around their school field, pupils separated the litter and recycled what they could. Their good turn followed a litter pick by pupils from Billingham Campus at the Billingham Beck Valley Country Park, which relies on volunteers to keep the area rubbish-free.

MUSIC SHOWS: Music lovers in Hartlepool can enjoy a series of summer concerts. Bearpark and Esh Colliery Band start the band season at Ward Jackson Park on Sunday, from 2pm. On July 28, Billingham Silver Band will perform on the paddle steamer Wingfield Castle outside the Museum of Hartlepool in the marina.