CARNIVAL CONCERT: Kerrang FM Radio finalists Kickshaws will headline a special fundraising concert at The Forum, in Borough Road, Darlington on Saturday, May 18. Doors open at 8pm with support provided by local band Midway Arcadia. Tickets are £4, available at the door at The Forum. All money raised will go towards this year’s Darlington Community Carnival, which takes place on Saturday, June 29.

OPEN GARDENS: Thornton Hall Gardens will open its gates to the public on Sunday, May 26, between 11am and 4pm. A new Sculpture Exhibition by Le Blanc Fine Art, which will include life size bronzes of women and children cast by the late Judith Holmes Drewry and bronze birds by Lloyd Le Blanc. There will also be a Flower Power Plant Fair, featuring eight local specialist nurseries. Admission is £5 per person. The gardens are two miles west of Darlington on the B6279 Staindrop Road. Refreshments will be available.