SHOPS, pubs and restaurants have brought sunshine to south Durham with sunflower displays promoting the Butterwick Hospice at Bishop Auckland for Hospice Awareness Week.

Yellow themed windows, special offers and yellow events are running until Saturday. There was a shadow over the launch of the event on Friday, when a sunflower parade along Newgate Street had to be cancelled because not enough people could attend.

But an £8-a-head anniversary dinner is going ahead at Macmillan House today, with guest including Councillor Philip Thompson, chairman of Shildon Town Council, who has chosen the hospice as his charity for his year in office. Jean Wombwell, boss of Trimmers Hairdressers, in Newgate Street, is one of 30 businesses supporting the week. She will give the hospice ten per cent from all hair colourings at the salon.

Sedgefield Village is staging an evening fete tomorrow, and on Wednesday visitors to Asda's Bishop Auckland store can pay £1 to splat the bather in a bath full of custard.

Call the hospice on (01388) 603003 for details of a Yellow Pages pub quiz on Thursday. Friday is Go Yellow Day in businesses and schools, and the week ends at the hospice on Saturday with an open morning.