DAREDEVILS are being urged to take part in an abseil from Newcastle's Tyne Bridge to raise funds for cancer nurse services.

The event, to raise cash for Marie Curie Cancer Care, will take place from the 120ft bridge on Sunday, June 9. There will be spaces for 300 sponsored volunteers to take part. No experience is required and full training will be provided. For an entry form and further details, telephone 0191-382 3311.

Stinghy idea: Michael and Julia Lewis and Barney Taylor, friends from Stockton, Teesside, have invented a car roof-mounted, hinged storage container, which converts into a small dinghy. The two sections lock together with retaining bolts and the boat can be fitted with an outboard motor. The trio, who are hoping to make a splash at the Spirit of Innovation Awards, say the Stinghy is lighter than an inflatable and will not tear.

New boss: Stuart Vere, former managing director of the Priory Hospitals Group, has joined the self employment support organisation, InBiz, as chairman. The move frees chief executive officer Terry Owens, who founded the Stockton-based national organisation, to concentrate on developing the organisation's growth plans.

Garden open: Birkheads Cottage Garden and Nursery, near the A6076 between Sunniside and Stanley, County Durham, will be open to the public next Monday, between 2pm and 5pm, as part of the British Red Cross Open Gardens Programme. Admission is £2.

Coffee morning: St Mary's Church, at West Rainton, near Durham, will hold a coffee morning and belfry shop on Saturday, from 10am, when nearly-new clothing, books, bric-a-brac and bedding plants will be on sale. For further details, call 0191-584 8156.

Advancing years: Pupils from two schools on Teesside will be asked by Canadian artist Ed Pien tomorrow to produce, in pen and ink, images of how they think they will look in years to come. The themes for a workshop he is holding in Middlesbrough are self image, identity and ageing - and his students will be primary school children.

Table-TOP sale: A table-top sale will be held on Saturday, June 8, between 10am and 2pm, in St Andrew's Methodist Church, at Brandon, near Durham. Proceeds will go to the church's building fund. The organisers are seeking donations of bric-a-brac and household goods. For details, call 0191-378 9588.

Blues band: Acclaimed blues band Paul Lamb and The Kingsnakes, who played at the Stanley Blues Festival, will be performing at The Gallery, Chester Moor, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham, on Thursday, at 8.30pm. Admission costs £6. For details, call the venue on 0191-388 4588.

RUBY meal: Durham Flower Club is celebrating its 40th anniversary by having a meal at Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland, on Wednesday, July 3