THEATRE and leisure centre staff were celebrating yesterday after hearing that the country's only children's theatre festival is coming to north-west Durham.

The festival, called Take-Off, involves 16 theatre companies staging performances at the Empire Theatre, Consett, civic halls in Consett and Stanley, and local schools.

The festival will take place from Tuesday, October 17 to Friday, October 20.

Derwentside District Council leisure services officer Sue Fox said: "The project is of major importance to Derwentside. It benefits the economy and raises the district's profile.

"Because Take-Off showcases children's theatre, many visitors will be arts professionals, watching the shows in order to select some for their own venue programmes."

Highlights will include Picture Me, a play about a girl who sees the world through the lens of her camera, the Heart of the North talent competition, and Sunny Side of the Street, a comedy set in the 1950s about two young Co-op workers on an outing to Whitley Bay.