North-East LEGO® Landmarks, Centre for Life, Newcastle, opens on Saturday, and runs until April 23
Local LEGO® builder Steve Mayes has been busy building LEGO® versions of some of the North-East’s favourite landmarks.

See his collection at Life, including, BALTIC, Angel of the North and the International Centre for Life – a specially commissioned new model on show for the first time. Open 10-6pm. 0191-243 8210. 

Isabel Alexander: Artist and Illustrator (1910-1996), Mercer Art Gallery, Harrogate, opens on Saturday 
This first major Yorkshire retrospective of her life's work, featuring over 50 prints, paintings and drawings, reveals the lifetime in art of an artist who is worthy of greater recognition.

Alexander trained at the Slade School of Art, London in the 1930’s then travelled widely in Europe and lived for the last 20 years of her life in Yorkshire, where her work attracted a strong following. 

The works on show reveal her extraordinarily diverse career as an illustrator and artist, influenced by her great love of the British landscape and the natural world, as well as her great empathy for the disadvantaged. 01423-556188. 

Open Rehersal with North Yorkshire Chorus, Northallerton Methodist Church Hall, on Saturday, 1:30pm-3:30pm. 
An opportunity for potential new singers to come along and see if they would like to sing with a quality classical choir.

No experience or ability to sight read music is necessary and there are no auditions. A love of singing or music is all that is required!

Help will be available for people to determine what voice part they are, how to follow the music, and with signing technique. 

The Northern Echo: Needle Felt Workshop, Arc, Stockton on Saturday, 10-1pm
In this workshop, you’ll be guided through the process of making your forest animals whilst learning the techniques of needle felting. In the past five years, needle felting has set Instagram, Pinterest and Etsy ablaze with the variety, scope and scale of what can be produced using needle felting techniques.

During your time with Carol, the workshop leader, you will start from the basics and could soon be creating your very own forest – which of the tiny forest creatures is your choice.

This workshop is aimed at beginners, intermediates or experts and it’s roaring good fun! It includes all materials, including a kit for you to create the rest of your woodland creatures at home! Tickets on 01642-525199. 

The Northern Echo: The Pitmen Poets, Scarborough Spa, on Sunday, 7pm
From Billy Elliot To Close The Coalhouse Door, When The Boat Comes In To The Pitmen Painters. 

Now Hear The Songs And Stories Of…The Pitmen Poets. The Pitmen Poets features four of North East England’s leading champions of its musical heritage.

Ex-Lindisfarne singer and songwriter Billy Mitchell, renowned singer and instrumentalist Bob Fox, leading exponent of Tyneside song Benny Graham, and much-covered Durham songwriter Jez Lowe individually and collectively celebrating the triumphs, tragedy, humour and hard times of North-East England's coal mining tradition in an evening of music, song and spoken word, illustrated by atmospheric archive photography. Tickets on 01723-821888.