A MUSICAL picnic in the park is poised to become an annual feature of a North-East village after a highly successful inaugural event.

Saturday's event at Hurworth, near Darlington, attracted nearly 1,000 flag-waving people, enjoying an evening of world-class music and a firework finale.

The stars of the show were The Angels of the North, international soprano Suzannah Clarke, from Normanby, Middlesbrough, and harpist Kate Wilson from Liverpool.

They had the crowd shouting out for more with a wonderful blend of music and humour.

They were ably supported by the Tees Valley Youth Brass Band, conducted by Stuart Gray, and the Tees Valley Youth Wind Orchestra, conducted by John Mackenzie.

The music covered everything from the best of the James Bond themes, to a Disney At The Movies medley, and more classical pieces.

The event was a partnership between the Durham Federation of Women's Institutes and Hurworth Community Association, with D K Kitchens, of Darlington, acting as main sponsor.

The evening was compered by Jim Knight, of BBC Look North, and Peter Barron, editor of The Northern Echo, which was a supporting sponsor.

Ian Fletcher, manager of Hurworth Community Association, said: "This was very much an experiment, but it has been a tremendous success, better than we could have imagined.

"We have really got something to build on for the future, and I have no doubt we will be doing it next year - bigger and better."