A housing association employee yesterday denied stealing cash and falsifying records of residents' personal allowances. Elaine Patterson, 43, pleaded not guilty to theft of £4,232 from Enterprise 5 Housing Association and false accounting during a brief hearing at Durham Crown Court. The case was adjourned and Mrs Patterson, of Litton Court, Mill Hill, Sunderland, was bailed to return for trial on May 29.

DOORS OPEN: Tribute band The LA Doors will perform at Newcastle University Students' Union on Thursday night. Doors open at 7.30pm and tickets cost £7.

Spiritualist meeting: A spiritualist meeting will be held on Monday in the Vane Tempest Hall, Gilesgate, Durham, starting at 7pm.

Rock night: Popular County Durham rock band TT Blue will be playing at The Gallery, Chester Moor, near Chester-le-Street, next Friday. Atari Doll and Synchronised will be the acts on Sunday, April 28. Both events start at 8.30pm and admission is £2. For details, call 0191-388 4588.

Band night: The band Snatch will be playing at the King's Head, Crook, tomorrow night at 8pm. There will be no charge for admission and all are welcome.

MAN ASSAULTED: Police have arrested two men after a man was assaulted in Silverdale Drive, Winlaton, Gateshead, just after 10.30am yesterday. Anyone with information is asked to ring 0191-454 7555.

CHEQUE THIS: Sunderland footballer Jason McAteer will present a cheque for £1,000 on behalf of Tesco to the Durham Under-Eights football team, at the store's Dragonville Industrial Estate branch, at 5pm on Monday.

YOUTH PARLIAMENT: The first meeting this year of northern members of the UK Youth Parliament is staged at County Hall, Durham, today. About 40 delegates, aged up to 18, from Leeds to the Scottish borders, will discuss items to raise before the national Youth Parliament meets to launch its manifesto in July.

ANTIQUES AUCTION: An antiques auction will be held by the Haswell and District branch of the mental health charity Mencap, on Wednesday. Furniture, bric-a-brac, linen and jewellery will go under the hammer at the branch's base in Church View, in the east Durham village, at 7.30pm. Doors open at 7pm, with admission free. Items up for auction can be viewed earlier in the day, from 10am to 4pm. Further information is available on 0191-526 0987.

TRAINING DAY: Winners of more than 50 awards from the Millennium Commission's Coalfields Community Spirit scheme come together for a training and development workshop, at Durham's Gala Theatre, on Monday, from 4pm to 6pm. The winners received an average £4,000 each to create projects to boost former Coalfield Communities across the county.