A garden shed containing a quad bike, in Hall Lane Estate, Willington, was severely damaged by fire early yesterday.

Two appliances from Crook Fire Station attended the blaze, at about 1.15am.

MP SURGERY: Bishop Auckland MP Derek Foster will hold a surgery session at Witham Hall, Barnard Castle, on Friday, between 4.30pm and 5.30pm.

SMART ART: An exhibition of Smartie sweet tube creations will be held at Timothy Hackworth Museum, Shildon, on Sunday, from 10am to 4pm. There will also be craft stalls, a bouncy castle and tombola for Father's Day fun.

CHURCH BOOST: St Andrew's Church, in Barnfield Road, Spennymoor, will be holding a garden party on Saturday, from 11am. There will be stalls, refreshments and a tombola. Admission is 20p with proceeds going to church funds.

CHARITY APPEAL: Shildon branch of the British Heart Foundation will hold a street collection to raise money for local surgery equipment, in Shildon centre, on Saturday, June 22, from 9am to 1pm.

AUTHOR talk: Margaret Murphy, author of five crime and psychology novels, will talk about her work and latest book, called Darkness Falls, at Bishop Auckland Town Hall, tomorrow, at 7.30pm. Free tickets are available on (01388) 602610.

BALLROOM DANCING: The Midi Dance Orchestra is staging a 50/50 dance for ballroom and sequence dancing at Spennymoor Town Hall, on Friday, June 21, at 8pm. Tickets cost £3 at the door. For more details, contact (01388) 817 914.

Fun day: A jubilee fun day is taking place at Dean Bank recreation park, Ferryhill, between 10am and 4pm, on Sunday. There will be various stalls and entertainment. There will also be five-a-side football tournament between youngsters from Ferryhill and a group of foreign visitors.

BUS ATTRACTIONS: Young people from the Skerne Park area of Darlington are being encouraged to use the town's Blitz Bus. The vehicles is visiting the area twice a week while improvements are carried out at the community centre, in Coleridge Gardens. The bus includes a television, video and computers and trained staff will be available to give advice to youngsters on a variety of topics.

House fire: Firefighters were called to a house in Greenbank Road, Darlington on Sunday night. No one was hurt in the fire but the first floor was badly damaged.

Street collection: A collection for the National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society, in Darlington town centre at the weekend raised £103.32.

CHARITY LUNCH: A couple opened the doors of their home to host an antiques luncheon in aid of a charity for the elderly. Richard and Caroline Wilson, of Cliffe Hall, near Piercebridge, held the event to raise funds for the Royal UK Benefit Association, known as Rukba.The event raised almost £2,700 for Rukba's North of England fund