SO, the impressive stadium being built for Darlington football club by the town's bypass will have the words George Reynolds in its name.

Observers of recent events surrounding the football club would have expected nothing less. The club's chief benefactor and chairman is not one for hiding his light under a bushell and he is only following a precedent set elsewhere. At least the club chairman doesn't have a name like Madejski which is what Reading FC's new ground is called.

The alternatives to George Reynolds are not terribly attractive. The "Neasham Road stadium" has the benefit of being accurate if redolent of a past era when football stadia were typically named after the district in which they were built.

"New Feethams" would also preserve the link with the past but as the word Feethams never struck fear into the hearts of visiting teams or supporters, perhaps that rather gentle term should be left to rest.

There is also the precedent of stadia being named after commercial sponsors. But the "Darlington Building Society stadium" doesn't quite trip off the tongue.

George Reynolds is probably the least worst alternative and Quakers fans will acknowledge that the new stadium is all his own work.

Spectator understands the great man even plans to have a luxury penthouse incorporated into the rapidly emerging structure on the Darlington skyline. Mr Reynolds certainly can't be accused of not living and breathing the club.

Get festive

By all accounts, Bedale's 750 celebrations got off to a storming start with about 8,000 visitors coming to the town on the day of the medieval market day and royal visit.

The Swaledale Festival is also underway and despite the foot-and-mouth crisis, is attracting good crowds.

Thirsk Festival, the town's third such event, will start this month and the organisers are confident that, with favourable weather, they can more than match the success of the first two.

All of which goes to highlight the lack of any festival events in Northallerton. With the exception of the May fair and the smale-scale August carnival (which nearly didn't take place this year), there is nothing which draws visitors to the town for special events.

Perhaps a festival could be built around some aspects of the town's history such as the Battle of the Standard, currently topical because of the restoration work which will have to carried out on the battle memorial stone just outside the town.

Town leaders, please take note