Tamper-proof tax disc holder

POLICE have introduced a tamper-proof tax disc holder for drivers following a spate of disc thefts. Funding for the holders has been obtained through the Safer Communities Auto Crime Working Group for North Tyneside. Initially the police will be targeting victims of vehicle crime where the excise licence has been stolen in a bid to stop it happening again. The Vehicle 25 Watch scheme is a free system where drivers display bright yellow stickers on car windows which invite the police to stop the vehicle being driven by a younger driver, or if the vehicle is seen on the road between midnight and 5am.

SALE ON: The 5th Durham Scout Group is holding a table top sale on Saturday at its headquarters in Langley Moor, between 11am and 2pm. Tea, coffee and home-made soup will be available. For further details call 0191-384 4731 or 0191-384 6036.

RAFA MEETING: The Durham branch of the Royal Air Forces Association will hold its annual meeting at the Albatross Club, 57 Crossgate, Durham, on Tuesday next week, at 8pm. New members welcome.

ART WORKS: The 30th Easter art exhibition from Castleside Art Club will be held between Sunday, March 31, and Monday, April 1. It features works by the club, and will be held at Castleside Village Hall, Castleside, near Consett, between 10am and 5pm each day. Admission is 10p.

CRAFT FAIR: The Mayor of Peterlee, Councillor Maureen Taylor-Gooby, is holding an Easter craft fair on Sunday, March 24, in the banqueting suites at Shotton Hall, between 11am and 4pm. Entry costs 20p for adults and 10p for concessions. Stalls cost £10 and can be booked on 0191-586 4450. Proceeds will go to the St John Ambulance Blue Light Appeal.

CHEQUE PRESENTATION: Gary Wilkinson, from the St Oswald's Hospice Appeal, will receive a cheque for £600 from Portland Special School, in Sunderland, on Friday. The pupils raised the money through a week of fundraising activities.

RESIDENTS' FORUM: A meeting of the North Area Forum, inviting residents to air their views, will be held at South Hetton County Primary School, Frederick Terrace, South Hetton, at 6pm on Wednesday, April 10. Councillors and officers from Easington District Council, along with representatives from the parish, town and county councils will answer questions about neighbourhood services and log complaints.

DOG FOUND: The RSPCA has launched an appeal to find the owner of a collie dog that was discovered with a broken front leg in Benwell, Newcastle last month. For details call 08705 555999.

EGG APPEAL: The Prince's Trust is appealing for Easter eggs to donate to children at the University Hospital of North Durham. Eggs can be left at County Hall, in Durham, Tourist Information, at 20 Upper Chare, Peterlee, Newcastle Playhouse, at Barras Bridge, or Safeway, in Durham.

PASS RENEWALS: People in the Chester-le-Street area entitled to concessionary bus passes can renew them at Chester-le-Street Civic Centre, Newcastle Bank, on Friday, April 26, Monday, April 29, and Tuesday, April 30, between 9.30am and noon and from 1pm to 3.30pm. Passes, which are free, can also be renewed at various community centres throughout the district from Tuesday, April 2.