A TELEPHONE call from Texas has led to an additional event for the Bedale 750 market character celebrations.

The phone call, from Mr Simon Bainbridge, who has family links at Leeming Bar, asked if it would be possible for the Houston children's chorus to perform in Bedale on Wednesday, August 1.

The request was discussed at a meeting of Bedale 750 organisers who, despite the short notice, welcomed the idea and approached the local branch of the Children's Society as an appropriate charity to run it and swell its funds.

The result is an extra concert on the 750 programme.

The 30-strong choir, aged from about 12 to 16, will sing in Bedale Hall, 7.30. Tickets, £3.50, are available from Bedale tourist information centre.

"We are delighted to take on this event and to add an international dimension to Bedale 750," said Mrs Shirley Fitton, secretary of the local branch of the Children's Society.

For more details, contact Mrs Fitton on 01677 427079.

Sounds of summer

ONE of Bedale's best assets, its festival choir, comes into its own this weekend with its annual concert, For it is Summer.

The choir performs in Bedale Hall at 7.30. Conducted by Mr Richard Boyton, the concert is "a bubbly mixture of music for a summer evening." Tickets are £3.50 and cheese and wine after the performance costs £1.50.

Other events last week continued to show good support. On Tuesday, Bedale Probus club was the venue for a talk by former Dalesman editor Mr Bill Mitchell.

In an absorbing 80 minutes or so, he had the audience of more than 100 in stitches with tales of dales characters and reminiscences of life in the dales.