Countryside Live, Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate on this weekend

Animals galore, fabulous food and a host of hands-on activities for all ages are just some of the ingredients for the annual Countryside Live.

Thousands of people are expected to be heading for the rural extravaganza and amongst them this year will be VIP Special Guest Gregg Wallace.

Our new exhibition hall will be the ideal setting for our cookery theatre, plus we will have an apple show and dozens of stands.

The event is packed with hands on activities particularly in the Create and Explore area which is aimed at youngsters.

Countryside Live is a fun way of getting to know more about rural life and have an enjoyable day out.”

New this year are alpacas which will feature in competitive classes, there will be fun activities with opportunities to meet these amazing animals and buy from the selection of luxury products. 

An apple show is sure to draw the crowds especially as National Apple Day is on Friday 21 October. Following its popularity at the 2015 Countryside Live, around 100 different apple varieties – all grown in Yorkshire will be displayed, courtesy of Fruitscape. And there will be the chance to see if they taste as good as they look with tasting sessions as well as advice on fruit tree care.

Elsewhere the Knaresborough Horticultural Society will stage its autumn fruit, flower and veg show, there's the chance to see pigs, donkey rides, a climbing wall and classes for honey, pigeons and poultry.

There will be cheese and beer tasting, Flyball demonstrations, archery, birds of prey demonstrations and dozens of stands with everything from delicious food, to imaginative jewellery, to designer clothing.

St Cecilia's Gala concert, Ripon Cathedral, on Saturday, 7.30pm

Tasmin Little, one of the world's leading violinists, will honour Ripon when she appears with St Cecilia Orchestra as soloist in the Max Bruch Concerto.

During her distinguished career Tasmin has played in the most prestigious global venues with leading orchestras and conductors.

The concert begins at 7.30pm and also includes Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, complete with cannon and mortar effects, and Holt's Planet Suite.

Tickets £20 (concessions available) from 01765-677 413. 

Nine Below Zero, Stockton Arc on Saturday, 8pm
Nine Below Zero are Mark Feltham, Dennis Greaves, Mickey Burkey and Brian Bethel, together they are the ‘Young Ones’ line-up of the band.

With Burkey re-joining the band for the first time since the 1980s, when they played at the 30th anniversary of the Assembly Room in Islington in 2012, they are now on tour again.

In 2014, two of the bands classic albums - 1981’s Don’t Point Your Finger and 1982’s Third Degree - were re-mastered and released through Universal Music, many of the songs on these albums having being co-written by Burkey and Greaves.

Tickets on 01642 525199. 

Little Frankenstein Puppeteer, Georgian Theatre Royal, Richmond, on Saturday, 2pm

Frank Stein is busy rehearsing his new show but he's finding it really difficult with his badly made puppets!

He’ll never be famous because his puppets keep falling apart! Taking inspiration from the scientist Dr Frankenstein, and with the help of the audience, he creates a new real live puppet that is destined to change his life forever!

A little horror for little horrors. A treat not to be missed. Suitable for everyone over 5.

Tickets on 01748-825252. 

Scream Factory (Extreme Tour), Kirkleatham Museum, Redcar, runs until October 31
Want an evening of entertainment to DIE for? Scream Factory’s Extreme Tour is not for the faint-hearted.

With brand new nightmares being introduced this 2016, pay a visit this Halloween and you’ll never be the same again.

Take a walk around the Scream Factory and you’ll get to confront all your fears in one go.

Guests will face an intimidating, visceral experience as the residents of the Scream Factory sentence them to a life imprisonment.

We’re sure you’ll have a blindingly good time...

The Extreme Tour is people aged 14+ 

Darlington Piano Society recital by the Ashley Wass, The Dolphin Centre, on Sunday, 3-5pm
British pianist Ashley Wass, making his third visit to the Society after an absence of 11 years. Described as an ‘endlessly fascinating artist’, he is firmly established as one of the leading performers of his generation.

He began playing the piano at the age of five, and studied at Chetham’s School of Music and the Royal Academy of Music.

He won the London International Piano Competition in 1997 (the only British winner this far) and has also been prizewinner at the Leeds Piano Competition, and is a former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist. 

Renowned for a broad and eclectic repertoire, Ashley has received great critical acclaim for his recordings of music from a wide range of styles and eras, with glowing reviews of his interpretations of composers such as Liszt, Franck, Beethoven, and Bridge.

His survey of Bax’s piano music was nominated for a Gramophone Award and his discography boasts a number of Gramophone ‘Editor’s Choice’ recordings and BBC Music Magazine ‘Choices’.

Tickets on 01325-388406.